Just My Luck
by Lostliveson4eva
Summary: Clary Fray loves to act. The only problem? Jace Wayland does, too. What will happen when they both sign up for the school play? Will they learn to work together, or will the play be a disaster? All Human.
1. Chapter 1

"Clary!"

I turned around to find my best friend Isabelle running towards me. Isabelle's black hair was flying loosely behind her as she ran. I was amazed that she didn't fall in those six inch high heel boots.

"Hey, Izzy," I greeted her as she stopped in front of me, straightening her black dress that barely reached mid-thigh. "What's up?"

"Did you hear the news?" Isabelle asked.

"What news?" I questioned, turning back to my locker to shove my Algebra book into it.

"Mr. Hacker put up the sing-up sheet for our next school play!" she exclaimed. I slammed my locker closed and we both took off running to the Director's room. When we turned the corner, there was a small crowd of people signing up on the white sheet outside Mr. Hacker's door.

I pushed my way through the crowd, getting a few complaints from my classmates, before I was standing in front of the sheet that said "Spring Play Sing-up Sheet". I took out a pen from my pocket and signed my name on one of the lines. I capped the pen and smiled at the sheet.

"Okay, move along, some of us are trying to sign up here," someone said behind me. I apologized and made my way back to Isabelle.

"Do you know what this play is about?" Isabelle asked me. I shook my head and shrugged.

"I'll find out at the first meeting," I told her. The bell rang, telling us we needed to get to our next class. The little crowd of people dispersed, empting the halls. Isabelle and I both walked to Biology together, the last class of the day. As we made it to the Biology room, Isabelle took her seat in the back of the room and I sat in the second row near the windows. The room had tables that sat two people each. There were five against the wall, five in the middle of the room, and then five against the windows. All facing Mr. Carroway's desk situated at the front of the room.

This was probably my least favorite class out of all of them. I got decent grades in it, but it was so boring to sit here and learn about the digestive system, which we were currently studying. I pushed my backpack to the side and crossed my arms on the desk. I laid my head in my arms and waited for class to start. I heard the chair next to me scrap against the floor and looked up to find my other best friend Simon sit down.

"Hey, Si," I addressed him.

"Hey," he replied, plopping down in his chair. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Long day?" I asked him. He nodded and put his glasses back on.

"Mrs. Jennings gave us loads of homework due tomorrow," he told me. Mrs. Jennings was the Algebra teacher, and she always assigned at least four pages of math homework to do every night. Luckily I had a study hall after that class, so I was already finished with half of it. Algebra was Simon's worst class, which made the assignment seem even longer.

"You can come over after school and we'll work on it together," I told him. He looked over at me gratefully.

"You are my lifesaver, Fray. You know that?" I smiled and pulled out my Biology book.

"Of course I am," I replied. Mr. Carroway walked in just as the late bell rang. He was usually late to his classes. He told us it didn't matter because he was teacher and he was in charge. What he didn't know was that he being late was good for us, because if we were running late, we still usually got here before him.

"Alright everyone, take your seats," he commanded. Those of my classmates who wandered to go talk to their friends sat down in their assigned seats. "Who would like to explain what the stomach is and what its role in the digestive track is? Anyone?" When no one raised their hands he called on a random person.

"Ah, Mr. Lightwood, thank you for volunteering." Alec, Isabelle's older brother, looked up and blushed.

"Um, it's the thing that holds your food," he replied. Mr. Carroway narrowed his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Could you be more specific?" he asked. Alec slumped in his chair.

"It's a . . . pouch thing that . . . uh . . . holds your food?" A few of the students snickered. Mr. Carroway sighed.

"It is a saclike organ that uses mechanical and chemical digestion to break down the food that comes from the esophagus. Can anyone tell me what mechanical and chemical digestion is?" Once again, no one raised their hands, leaving Mr. Carroway to pick the next unlucky victim who didn't know the answer.

The class went on like that for the rest of the period before the bell rang. I got up and shoved my book into my grey backpack.

"Did you sign-up for the play?" Simon asked me. I nodded my head.

"All signed-up," I declared. Acting was my favorite thing to do. I signed-up for all the school plays we had, starting with the Fall Play Freshman year. Now that I was a Junior, I had been in a total of eight High School plays. Each time I was either the lead or the second biggest part. There was only one problem when it came to being in the school plays.

Jace Wayland.

He always got the guy's main role - always. There wasn't a time when he tried out and wasn't the lead. Luckily, the only times he did try out were when I wasn't the main role. He was probably the most selfish person I knew. He didn't care about anyone else but himself. He was known as being sarcastic, conceited, and arrogant. And for some odd reason, he was one of the most popular people in the school. I personally didn't see what everyone thought was so great about him. I assumed it was his looks, which, if I had to admit, weren't terrible.

"Clary?" Simon's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," I replied, shaking my head to clear any thoughts of Jace Wayland. "Yeah, let's go."

We walked out of the classroom and split up to go to our lockers. I made my way to my locker, passing an even smaller group of people signing-up, and stopped in front of the rusty, faded blue locker. I pulled it open and one of my books fell out. I internally groaned and reached to pick it up, but a hand reached out and grabbed it before I could. I shot back up and turned to the owner of the hand.

And just my luck, it was Jace Wayland.

_How was that for a first chapter? I hoped you enjoyed this. I'll update as soon as I can. _

_~Lost_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

"Dropped this," Jace said, holding out my book. I narrowed my eyes and reached for the book, only to have it be pulled away.

"Jace, give it to me," I demanded. He held it away from me and smirked.

"Only if you ask nicely," he replied. I sighed and glared at him.

"Give me my book," I said. Jace shook his head and made a "tsking" noise. He held the book up over his head so I couldn't reach it.

"That doesn't sound very nice. Ask me again, nicely this time," he told me. He even had the nerve to cup his ear like he was trying to hear something far away. I groaned and looked up at him, plastering a big, fake smile on my face.

"Jace," I said in a sickly sweet voice. "Please give me back my book." He smiled triumphantly before lowering the book. I snatched it out of his hand and shoved it into my locker.

"See, all you had to do was ask me civilly," he told me. I glared sideways at him.

"What do you want?" I snapped. He held his hands up in an innocent manner.

"Whoa, no need to be all grumpy. I just came to ask if you signed up for the play this spring," he said. I slammed my locker closed and turned to face him.

"And what if I did?" He smiled at me, and if I didn't know the kind of person he truly was, I might have believed it was real.

"Looks like we might be working together. Wouldn't that be marvelous if we both got the main parts?"

_No, no it would not, _I thought.

"Then we'd get to work together. Maybe I could give you a few pointers on how to be a better actor. Of course, you'd never be able to be as good as I am," he said vainly. I wanted to slap the smirk off of his face. I probably would have if I hadn't heard the sound of a cat crying out after being hit by a car behind me.

"Jace!"

I turned to find Aline, the School Slut, coming up to us, or should I say, up to Jace. She was wearing a pink mini skirt and white tank top that barely covered her cleavage. She also had on a pair of pink high heel shoes and makeup was caked onto her face.

"I was looking everywhere for you!" she exclaimed, gripping Jace's arm, obviously feeling up his muscles. I saw Jace frown a little before putting up a huge smile and facing Aline. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her flush against his side. Then he looked at me and winked.

"See you at the meeting," he said, before he walked away with Aline giggling at his side. I felt like gagging at the site of them.

I huffed and stalked off to find Simon. I made my way to his locker, all the while trying to forget about Jace. Instead I thought of the play. An email would be sent out to everyone on the list about the meeting. Usually at the first meetings we talked about what the play was going to be about, and anyone who wanted to could back out if they didn't like the plot. The next day was when we held auditions.

I found Simon at his locker, struggling to fit all his books into it. A few of them started to tumble out. I swear these lockers could fit maybe three books, the rest we had to shove in. Then when we opened them back up, _drop. _All the shoved in books came plummeting out. I hurried over to him and helped him jam the books into the small space.

"Thanks," he said, breathing heavily, his glasses askew. I laughed and reached out to straighten them.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked. He nodded and hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. He ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed.

We walked in silence until I reached my car - a silver 2003 Toyota Camry. Simon climbed into the passenger seat when I unlocked the doors. I situated myself in the driver's side, making sure my mirrors were adjusted. After I made Simon buckle his seat belt, we took off to my house.

"Guess who I ran into in front of my locker," I said, making conversation. Simon looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" he asked curiously. I sighed and made a left turn.

"Jace Wayland," I replied. I heard Simon give a small gag.

"What did he want?" he questioned.

"To know if I was trying out for the play. He was an ass as usual," I told him. Simon leaned back in his seat and laid his head on the head rest.

"Is he trying out?" I nodded and Simon gave me a pity look. "Do you think you'll get the main part? If you do, you'll have to work even more with him. He always gets the main guy's part, you know that." I nodded once more and sighed.

"I still want the main part. Who knows, maybe Jace won't like the plot and he'll quit. Then everything will be fine," I said, trying to reassure myself. I knew it was a long shot, once Jace signed up for a play, he didn't back out. He'd only been in a few, but each time his acting was, and I hate to admit it, sensational.

"Good luck with that, Fray," Simon muttered. I glared at him, causing him to shrink in his seat.

The rest of the drive was ridden in silence. I pulled into my driveway and parked my car. We both unbuckled our seatbelts and walked up to the house.

"Mom, I'm home!" I called out when we stepped inside the front door. My mom appeared in the living room entry way.

"Hey, Clary. Simon," she greeted us. Her red hair was in a ponytail and she had a smile on her face. I looked just like my mother, same red hair and green eyes.

"Mrs. F.," Simon replied. She gave him a mock stern look.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Jocelyn. You've been friends with Clary how many years? Eleven? And besides, it's Mrs. G. now, remember?" my mother said. Even though my mom was now Mrs. Garroway, Simon still called her Mrs. F. She had married my step father Luke a few months ago, but the name Garroway just didn't stick with Simon.

"Where's Luke?" I asked her. I removed my shoes and kicked them off to the side.

"He's at work. He should be coming home soon," Jocelyn replied.

"Well, Simon and I better start on our homework," I told her, starting to drag Simon up the stairs.

"Okay, I'll call you down when dinner's ready," she said. I nodded and smiled down at her.

We made our way to my bedroom, and Simon pushed the door open, revealing a mess of clothes, books, sketches, and paints scattered throughout the room.

"God, Clary. Don't you ever clean in here?" Simon asked, kicking a few books aside.

"My room is just the way I like it, so shut up," I told him, sticking my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and mumbled the word "immature" under his breath.

I sat down on my unmade bed and started to dig through my backpack for my math book. Simon grabbed the rolling chair from my desk and brought it over to the bed.

I tried to show him how to do the problems, but he kept spacing off. I ended up slapping him upside the head to get his attention.

"Ow, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head. I glared at him.

"For not listening. I'm trying to help you," I told him. He sighed and slumped in his chair.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just . . . math is so boring. I'm never going to understand it no matter if I pay attention or not," he explained.

"Fine then, do it yourself," I told him. He groaned and closed his book.

"Screw this. I'll just fail." I rolled my eyes and continued to do my assignment.

About two hours passed when I was finally finished with all my homework. Simon was asleep in the chair, snoring lightly. I took out my laptop from under my bed and pressed the on button. I hurriedly checked my email, hoping there was an email from Mr. Hacker about the play. I smiled when I saw the "One New Message". I clicked on it and read.

_Dear Students,_

_If you are reading this, that means you signed up to be in the Spring Play! Our first meeting will be held after school on Thursday. There we will discuss the theme of the play. If you have decided you don't want to audition, please notify me. Otherwise I will see you all there! _

_Mr. Hacker_

"Clary, dinner's ready!" My mother called up to me. I closed my laptop and stood up. I pushed Simon out of the chair as I walked past him. He awoke with a start and landed on his butt.

He looked up at me in confusion.

"What was that for?" he asked me incredulously.

"Time for dinner. Are you eating here?" I asked. He stood up and glared at me, but then smiled.

"When do I ever pass up free food?" I rolled my eyes and we headed down stairs for dinner.

_Just a tip, reviews make me update faster. And you guys should check out my other MI story "I Dreamed of Fire". So, what did you think? Give me your worst . . . or best. Either one works for me._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey, long time no see. My bad. There is French in this chapter, no big deal. Translations if you need them are at the end. Enjoy :)_

_"Gurgle."_

I wrapped my hands around my stomach, trying to quiet it. I received a few glares from my fellow students, and all I could do was shrug at them. My stomach had been growling all throughout my first four classes.

My alarm clock didn't go off this morning, so I didn't have time to eat breakfast. I was anxiously awaiting the bell signaling it was lunch time. I had been sitting here for half an hour, trying to keep my stomach's noises at bay.

Mrs. Ralfs was droning on and on about the verb _parler. _I thought French would be the better language to learn. I had taken Spanish for six years in grade school and didn't learn a thing. I thought that was just because my teacher didn't even know Spanish herself, but now that I'm on to French and not able to understand a word my teacher says, I'm starting to wonder if I should just stick to good old English.

"Je suis parler en français," my teacher's clear voice rang out. "Can anyone tell me how to conjugate the verb parler?"

A girl in the front's hand shot up and she started to wave it in the air. I tried to remember her name, we only shared this class, but I couldn't recall it. Her brown hair was tied up and she wore thick black glasses.

"Ah, Samantha, merci de vous porter volontaire," Mrs. Ralfs called on her. Samantha started naming off the conjugations of _parler _while I stared at the clock, wishing the hands would move faster.

As Samantha finished conjugating, the bell rang, and I shot out of my seat. I grabbed my backpack and swung it over my shoulder.

"Pour demain, faire page trente-sept dans vos classeurs." I heard the teacher say behind me, but I was already out the door.

By the time I made it to the cafeteria, there was already a line reaching to the back of the room. I groaned and took my place behind a student with greasy black hair and bad acne.

The line droned on forever, and by the time I reached the front, I felt like eating the whole cafeteria. The lunch was turkey sandwiches with potato chips, not my favorite, but hey, I wasn't complaining. I picked up one of the soggy sandwiches and placed it on a tray. I also grabbed an apple and hurriedly paid for my lunch.

I scanned the lunch room, looking for Simon.

"Clary!" I heard someone shout. I turned and spotted him a few tables away, standing up and waving his arms franticly. I chuckled and shook my head, making my way over to him.

I sat down across from him, next to a girl with dark brown pulled back into tiny braids. She looked at me and smiled, showing off her white teeth.

"Clary, this is Maia. She just moved her from-" Simon paused and looked at her. "Where did you say you moved here from?"

"Iowa," Maia said. I smiled at her.

"Hi, Maia, I'm Clary. What made you move to New York?" I asked.

"My father got a job here. He's a lawyer and he got asked by his company to move out to the law firm they have out here," she explained.

"That must be tough, moving to a whole new city," I said. She shrugged her tiny shoulders.

"I'm getting along pretty well," she replied.

"That's good. You can hang with us if you want," I told her. Maia smiled her thanks and took a big bite out of her sandwich. That reminded me of my growling stomach, so I picked up the turkey sandwich and bit a chunk out of it.

"So Maia, do you like plays?" Simon asked from across the table. Maia laid down her sandwich and took a sip of her drink before replying.

"Like school plays? I've never gone to one," she replied with another shrug of her shoulders.

"Clary always tries out for them. She's the best actor at this school," Simon told her. I blushed and threw a chip at him.

"I am not. There are other people who are better than me," I said. My words brought me back to when I talked to Jace at my locker, and how he said he was a better actor than me.

"She's being modest. She always gets the main roles," Simon explained. I sighed and shook my head.

"Not always, Simon," I reminded him.

"Well then almost always. You still the best Clary," he told me. I let it go, knowing I wasn't going to win this fight, and focused on my sandwich.

"You should try out for the play, Maia!" Simon explained. Maia began to shake her head.

"I'm not a good actor," she said.

"How do you know? It wouldn't hurt to try out," I said. "It'd also be a good way to meet people."

She thought for a moment, biting her lip. Then a smile lit up her face.

"Okay, I'll try out. When are try outs?"

"The first meeting for the play is Thursday; try outs usually come the next day. I'm gald you're trying out!" I told her. She raised a corner of her mouth up into a half smile. Simon smiled proudly at her.

Then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I rose from my seat and left the cafeteria, followed by Simon and Maia.

"So Maia, what's your next class?" Simon asked. Maia swung her backpack around to the front of her so she could reach into it and pull out her schedule.

"History," she said. Simon smiled wildly at that.

"That's my next class, too. I'll show you where it's at," he said. "See you, Clary." Simon waved and led Maia down the hall opposite of me. I could already tell by looking at Simon that he was developing a crush on Maia. The thought made me smile.

I waved to them both and turned to go to my English class, only to run smack into someone else.

_I guess this is where I ask questions like "Who did Clary run in to?" or "Will Simon and Maia get together?"._

_Translations:_

_Je vous parle en français - I am speaking to you in French._

_Ah, Samantha, merci de volontariat - Ah, Samantha, thank you for volunteering._

_Pour demain, faire page trente-sept dans vos classeurs - For tomorrow, do page thirty-seven in your workbooks._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Tell me what you think :) Reviews make me smile, each and every one of them. So don't be shy._


	4. Chapter 4

_It's my Fanfiction account's birthday! I've had it for a year now. Anyway, here's your next update. Thank you so much to technicolor_dreaming for beta-ing this for me! Enjoy :)_

_CHAPTER FOUR_

"Watch where you're going!" A voice screeched at me.

I stumbled backwards and managed to catch myself on the wall.

"Don't you ever look where you're walking?" Aline snarled. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Why don't _you _watch where _you're _going? Or were you too busy trying to concentrate on breathing and walking at the same time?" I snapped. Aline attained this loathsome look on her face before lunging at me. I raised my hands, ready to block her, when a hand reached out and snagged her sweater.

"As much as I love a good cat fight, now is not the time."

I looked over Aline's shoulder to find Jace standing there. His eyes were darting between the two of us, an amused look decorating his face. Aline glared at me before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking past me. She managed to bump her shoulder into mine, causing me to stumble. Two hands gripped my forearms to stop my fall.

"Thanks," I mumbled, causing Jace to smirk. I noticed he kept his hands on my arms a little bit longer than necessary before dropping them back to his side. I started to walk around him before he stopped me.

"I need to get to class," I told him.

"I know, just wait a second." I sighed and looked up at him.

"What do you want?" I questioned impatiently.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked. My eyes went wide for a moment at his question before I composed myself. Was he _really _asking why I didn't like him?

"Because you're a jerk. You're a liar and a player. You don't care about anyone but yourself," I stated.

"That's not true," he argued. I laughed incredulously.

"Tell me then, who have you helped?" I crossed my arms and waited for his answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"That's what I thought," I said, walking around him again. This time he didn't stop me and I made my way to English class. I was annoyed by just talking to him. For as long as we've gone to school together, Jace and I have never gotten along. We don't usually talk to each other, and when we do, it doesn't end well.

Hopefully I won't have to see Jace until tomorrow, the day of the meeting. I can't stand him. I don't know what I'd do if we both get the main roles for the play. I don't think I'd be able to work with him. Who could? He's an ass who doesn't work well with others. We almost had to cancel one of the plays because Jace and Maria, who was the leading role for the girls at the time, couldn't get along with each other.

Maybe it's better if I don't get the lead; otherwise this play may just end in disaster.

* * *

The next day seemed to drag on for years. Each class felt like it was days long. I almost fell asleep in Biology, until the teacher called on me to answer a question about the esophagus. Simon, bless him, whispered the answer to the question under his breath.

I managed not to run into Jace or Aline the whole day, which was a bonus for me. That is, until it came time for the meeting. I walked into the auditorium — a big room with a stage at the far end and seats all set up before it — to find the first three rows of chairs lined with students. I walked down one of the aisles and sat on the end seat in the second row. Mr. Hacker was situated on the stage, looking down at us.

I felt someone kick my seat and looked over my shoulder to find Kaelie, one of the sluts in Aline's posse. She smirked at me and crossed her arms. Aline was next to her, wearing a very unattractive sneer on her face. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the front of the stage.

"Thank you for joining us, ladies and gentlemen! It's good to see you all here. I recognize some familiar faces this season. I hope you're as excited for the play as I am!" Mr. Hacker, a skinny, balding man with black, square glasses, exclaimed. A few claps sounded throughout the room. A tap on my shoulder made me look over.

"Maia! You came!" Maia smiled at me as I scooted over a seat to make room for her.

"Okay everyone, I'm going to have Ms. Lacy pass around another sign-up sheet so I know who all came." Ms. Lacy, the assistant, went to the end of the first row and passed a brown clip-board around. One by one, everyone signed their names until it reached the end.

"Thank you! I have just a few more things I want to talk to you about. First, I'm sure you are all anxious to hear what the play is going to be about." Everyone cheered and clapped in agreement.

"First of all, if you don't like the plot, remember, you can always come and talk to me to cross your name off the list. But I really think you all should consider doing this! The opportunity to put on a play is a wonderful thing that has been given to us by this school," Mr. Hacker said. We all nodded, listening to the same speech he gives every play meeting.

"Okay, now, just to give you the gist of the play, it is about a small town girl who goes to work with her uncle in the city over the summer. I will pass out a paper to all of you explaining more and when the auditions will be. Now . . ." He trailed off as he looked down at his watch.

"That should be all for today. Ms. Lacy will hand out the papers to you all, and then you may leave," Mr. Hacker dismissed us. Ms. Lacy scurried down the aisles, handing stacks of papers to each row. I grabbed the stack of papers from Aline, took one, and passed the rest down. Aline was studying the paper, her eyes lighting up.

"This sounds fun!" she said, showing me the paper. I looked at my own and read the rest of the plot.

"'When Lilah James moves to New York City to work for her uncle as one of his assistants in his business, she meets Will O'Connell, a man who is working as an intern. At first they don't get along, but as the play goes on, they learn they have similar interests, and before either of them can stop it, they end up falling for each other,'" I said, reading off the sheet. "It has potential."

I started to read the list of characters, and what their relationships were with each other. Overall, the play didn't sound too bad. It wasn't the best we've had, but it definitely wasn't the worst. I internally shuddered at the memory of freshman year's Winter Play when we did a "Winter Wonderland". A lot of us had to dress up as snowmen and reindeer. Let's just say it didn't end very well.

"I like it; I can't wait for auditions. Which are . . ." Maia looked down at the sheet, "tomorrow after school." I nodded my head.

"That's the time they usually are," I replied.

"Well, let's get going. I need to get home and try to attempt the pile of Algebra homework I have," Maia said. I stood up and stretched.

We walked out of the school together before I stopped.

"Crap, I forgot my Bio book in my locker," I said, slapping my palm on my forehead.

"Would you like me to come with you to get it?" she asked. I shook my head, declining her offer.

"No, that's okay. I'll just go get it and see you tomorrow," I told her. She nodded and waved to me before walking away. I turned and started to head back into the school, making my way down the halls to my locker.

Once I reached it, I dialed the combination and the lock clicked. I pulled the locker open and searched through the mess of papers for my book. After a while of shoving old homework assignments around, I grabbed my book and slammed the locker closed.

"Clary," a voice said behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut and internally groaned.

"Jace," I said, turning around. He hand a smirk on his face and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his black leather jacket.

"So, what do you think of the plot of the play?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to come up with an excuse to leave.

"It's interesting," I replied. He nodded in agreement and ran a hand through his hair.

"Let me guess, you have your eye on the part of Lilah? You know, if you were to be Lilah, and I got the part of Will, we'd have to fall in love," he said in a cocky voice.

"If Will's an egotistic ass, then you'll surely get the part," I told him.

"Wow, you're hilarious," he said sarcastically, taking a step towards me. "And if Lilah is a reticent loner, then the part is yours."

"I'm surprised you even know what _reticent_ means," I replied. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I didn't know you had such a great sense of humor," he said derisively, taking another step forward.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me," I told him. He smiled and walked so he was right in front of me.

"Is there?" he questioned. I nodded and pursed my lips. He leaned down and spoke into my ear.

"If we're going to be working together, I guess I'll just have to learn more about you," he whispered. I tried to hold back the shudder that rippled through me as his warm breath hit my ear. He stood up straight and smirked.

"See you tomorrow." Then he turned on his heel and headed back in the opposite direction. I sighed and turned back to my locker, banging my forehead on it.

What was I getting myself into?

_Review?_


	5. Chapter 5

_Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! I made this chapter longer because it's late._

I rested my head in my arms, just wishing the day was over. I was feeling nervous. Not about tryouts, no, not at all, but about a certain someone who just seems to be able to annoy me to no end. I don't get how he can get on my nerves so much. To be honest, I don't really know why we hate each other so much. Ever since we first met we didn't like each other. He just started teasing me and making fun of me in front of his friends.

I still remember freshman year when he stole all my books and hid them in the library. That's when I learned to use a lock. He was immature, still is. But what I don't understand is why me? Why did he want to pick on me? I never did anything to him. But right when we met, it was an instant hate.

"Clary, are you coming?"

I lifted my head to find Isabelle staring impatiently at me. I hadn't realized it, but the bell rang. I stood up and grabbed my books, hurrying to catch up to Isabelle who was already out the door.

"Are you okay?" she asked me. I nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, just a little tired," I replied. She looked sideways at me.

"Are you nervous for tryouts? You know you'll do great. You always do," she told me.

"No, it's not that," I said. She raised an eyebrow.

"What is it then?" she questioned. I bit my lip; Isabelle knew Jace and I didn't like each other. After all, she saw more of Jace than I did, with him being her brother's friend and all.

"It's just . . . nothing really." Hopefully she'd take that as an answer and drop the subject. But Isabelle being Isabelle, she pressed on.

"Nothing, really? Because it sure looks like something. You look worn out," she observed. I sighed once more and looked over at her.

"Okay, it's Jace. What if we both get the leads? I can't work with him, he's terrible! Especially with this plot line. How am I supposed to 'fall in love' with him when I can hardly even be near him? The play will be a disaster and then I'll never get the lead roles because Mr. Hacker will be afraid I'll mess it up again." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

"Clary, don't worry about Jace. Sure, he's an ass, but you're an amazing actor. You'll do just fine if you both get the leads. All you have to do is ignore his sarcastic comments and just do your job," she said.

"Easier said than done," I mumbled. Isabelle rolled her eyes as we entered History class.

"All I'm saying is that you need to have more faith in yourself. Not everything is destined for disaster," she said.

"I never said everything was destined for disaster. I'm saying everything that has to do with Jace and me working together is destined for disaster," I told her. She sighed and we sat down next to each other in our assigned seats.

Isabelle pulled out her phone and started to text someone. I slumped in my seat as the teacher droned on. A few seconds passed when a very loud cough sounded from Isabelle. I looked towards her and she motioned at her phone. I rolled my eyes and reached into my backpack for my phone. I looked to make sure the coast was clear before pulling it out and reading the message.

_Maybe you should give him a chance. He hangs out with my brother a lot, and every time I've seen them together he seems fine._

I looked over at her and she shrugged. I hit the reply button and started typing.

_So now you're taking his side?_

Four seconds passed before Isabelle got the text. She glanced at me, rolling her eyes, before texting a reply.

_Of course not. I just think you shouldn't be so hard on him. What if he's just an ass for show? Have you ever thought about that?_

I couldn't believe she was sticking up for him. Since when was she friends with him? And why would he be an ass for show? I asked her that in the next text and she responded with:

_Maybe he thinks people will like him more. I don't know! Do I look like Jace? Maybe you should ask him next time you see him._

I eternally groaned. Next time I'd see him would be at tryouts.

_Don't hold your breath, _I replied. Then I put my phone away, ending the conversation. If Jace really was just being a jerk to make people like him, then he was denser than I thought. Being an ass to people doesn't make you like them. It just makes them think you're a, well, ass.

Class went on until, finally, the bell rang. I got out of my seat and grabbed my bag, then waited for Isabelle.

We walked in silence to the Biology room, taking our usual seats when we got there. I didn't even pay attention in class. I was too caught up in my thoughts. Tryouts were next, and I was becoming more nervous than before. I received a few odd looks next to me from Simon, but I ignored him.

_Calm down, Clary, everything is going to be okay. There were chances of being leads with Jace before, why are you so freaked out now? _I asked myself. That was a good question. Every other time Jace tried out there was the chance of us both getting the leads, but I didn't worry about it then. What was so different now? Maybe because we are older. Or it could be because he told me that he was a better actor than me, so now I feel like I need to prove something to him. I settled for that answer, not knowing what else it could be.

Before I knew it, the bell rang and school was over.

I sighed and gathered my things before heading to my locker.

"Clary!" Someone called behind me. I looked over my shoulder to find Maia running up to me, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, Maia," I greeted her. She smiled and slowed to walk beside me.

"Ready for tryouts?" she questioned enthusiastically.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied.

"I'm sure you'll do great. With the way Simon talks about you, you're amazing." As pretentious as it seemed, I was actually getting tired of people telling me how amazing at acting I was.

"And what about you? Are you nervous?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"A little I guess, but I either try my best and fail, or I actually get a decent part. I want a good part, but it's not like it'll be the end of the world if I don't," she said. I liked Maia's attitude. She was so confident and reassuring.

"You're right. No matter what part you get, it's not the end of the world." She was right. I may get the lead, and so may Jace, but it won't be the end of the world. I'll do my best and either fail or do fantastic. I felt much better as we entered the auditorium.

Mr. Hacker and Ms. Lacy were sitting in the middle while the students trying out were scattered in the seats in front. Maia and I sat by where we did the day before and waited for a command. I pulled the sheet of paper we received yesterday and read over the lines from the section with Lilah James. More students came into the room, and soon the auditorium had a good number of people in it.

"Alright," Mr. Hacker called from his seat, "the first one up is James Black."

A kid with sandy blond hair, and a freshman by the looks of it, stood up and made his way to the stage.

"State your name and tell us which part you are reading for."

"Uh . . . James Black?" he said, more of as a question than of a statement. He was probably wondering why he had to say his name when Mr. Hacker already said it. He gave Mr. Hacker a weird look before continuing. "I'm reading for the part of Mr. Miller, the uncle." Mr. Hacker nodded and wrote something down on a clipboard.

James started to read his lines, and I had to say, he wasn't that bad. By the end of his performance, claps rang through the auditorium.

"Okay, next up is Sarah Generd."

A short brunette stood up and walked on stage. "I'm Sarah Generd and I'm trying out for the part of Alice Kemp."

Alice Kemp was one of the bad people, and Sarah didn't look all that bad. She was okay at the part, but I didn't know if she'd be good enough. I clapped at the end, just like I had done for James.

It went on like that until my name was the one being called.

"Clary Fray and I'm reading for the part of Lilah James." I cleared my throat before going on.

"'Can I get one ticket to New York City?'" I said facing the person they had as a line reader.

"'New York City, eh? That's a pretty big place for a girl like you, especially a girl alone like you.'" I smiled, getting into character.

"'A girl like me? And how do you know what kind of girl I am?'" The line reader looked at the paper he was using as a script that Mr. Hacker had handed out yesterday.

"'Just a guess, here's your ticket,'" he replied. I pretended to grab a fake ticket.

"Thank you, now I best be on my way or I'll miss my train.'" I did a little curtsy before turning around.

"Oh, Ma'am, you be careful now. New York can be a dangerous place for someone your age,'" he said. I looked over my shoulder at him.

"'I'm seventeen, nearly an adult. I can handle myself.'" I smiled once more before turning again. That was all that was on the sheet, so I faced Mr. Hacker. Applause once again sounded throughout the room as I walked off stage.

On my way back to my seat, I passed Jace and he winked at me. I couldn't help the blush that spread through my cheeks. I walked faster to my seat and plopped back down next to Maia.

"Good job," she whispered. I thanked her as the next person was called. I couldn't decide if I did good or not. Did I put enough emotion into my voice? What if there wasn't even enough dialogue to say if I did good or not? Mr. Hacker didn't really put much on the sheet. Would that affect how he thought I did? I told myself to stop worrying and to focus on the rest of the students.

Maia went, trying out for the part of Olivia Jackens, Lilah's friend that she meets, and she was amazing. I clapped excitedly for her as she returned to her seat.

"Maia, you did incredible!" She smiled a small smile at me and thanked me. We watched a few more students, and I held back a groan as Jace was called last.

He walked up onto stage and stood tall and proud.

"Jace Wayland, reading for the part of Will O'Connell." I saw him take a deep breath, and his eyes made contact with mine. I swallowed but stared back at him.

"'Lilah, you can't leave, not yet,'" he said.

"'But my work here is done, it's time for me to go back to where I belong,'" the female line reader read.

"'But you and I, we're finally getting to know each other. You can't leave now.'" He held so much emotion in his voice. Sadness, desperation, and even a hint of love.

"'Will, I must go back. My family, they're waiting for me. Now that summer's over, I have to go back to school.'"

"'Please, Lilah,'" he said desperately. "'You have to stay. You can come to school here, where we will see each other.'"

"'I don't have the money for schooling in New York.'" A sad look shadowed Jace's face, and even though I knew he was only acting, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was still looking at me as he went on.

"'Lilah, I . . . I love you. I see that now. I love you, and I need you.'"

Finally his eyes left mine and went to Mr. Hacker. There were a few shocked expressions on some freshmen's faces as Jace took his seat. We all clapped again as Mr. Hacker stood up.

"Thank you everyone. We will have our results by the end of next week. You may all go now." Maia and I stood up and stretched. She told me she had to go get something in the office, so we said our goodbyes. I grabbed my bag as students emptied out of the auditorium.

"Nice job, Fray."

I turned to find Jace standing there.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Wayland," I replied. I waited for one of his sarcastic remarks, but it didn't come.

"Well, I better be going then," I said, starting to move past him. I was almost out the door when I heard his voice behind me.

"Sure, see you Monday," he said, more to himself. I pushed open the doors and stepped into the hallway. When I got outside, the smell of spring overwhelmed me. I have always loved spring. The flowers, the cool breezes, and it being not too hot or not too cold. It's been my favorite season for as long as I can remember. I walked through the parking lot until I reached my car. Climbing into the driver's seat, I put the key in and turned it, only to be rewarded with a clicking noise. I tried again, but the same thing happened. I groaned and hit my forehead on the steering wheel.

"This cannot be happening," I mumbled. I tried once more, begging for it to start, but knowing my luck, it didn't.

I got out of the car and went to the front, pulling the hood open. I bit my lip and stared at all the parts.

"Need help?"

I sighed but didn't look at Jace when I replied.

"Are you following me now?" It was meant more of a joke than a question.

"My cars right over there," he replied anyway, pointing to a silver Solara four cars down. I looked up from my car to meet his gaze.

"My car won't start," I said lamely. He walked over to me and took my place in front of the hood.

"What's wrong with it?" he questioned.

"Whenever I try to turn it on, it just makes a clicking noise," I explained to him.

"Go try it again." I did as he said and got into the driver's seat. Turning the key, again, I was rewarded with the same clicking noise.

I got back out of the car and went to stand next to Jace. He had his arms crossed and was staring at the engine.

"I think it's your battery. You'll have to call a tow truck to come get it and bring it someone who can test it," he told me. I sighed as he closed the hood. I was calculating how long it would take to walk to my house when Jace spoke up.

"I can give you a ride." He looked over at me and waited for my answer. I debated whether or not I should take him up on his offer or just call Simon to come get me. That's when I remembered that Simon was practicing with his band today. I could call Isabelle, but she'd probably say she was too busy.

"Alright," I said. He half smiled and led me to his car. I got in the passenger side while he situated himself in the driver's seat. His car turned on right away when he turned the key. I mentally cursed my car for being stupid.

"Where to?" he asked, driving out of the lot. I told him my address and turned to look out the window.

We sat in silence for half the ride until he spoke.

"So, were you nervous to tryout?" he asked, trying to fill the silence.

"No," I lied. He glanced sideways at me. "We're you?"

"No," he replied. I laid my head against the head rest. His car was clean and obviously new, or at least he took good care of it. I ran my right hand over the black leather seats.

"You really did do well, Clary. I'm sure you'll get the part," he told me. I looked for the sarcasm that was usually present in his voice, but there was none. He was being honest.

"Thanks," I replied awkwardly. "You did really well, too. I almost actually felt sorry for you," I admitted. He smirked, looking more like his usual self.

We rode the rest of the way in silence until he pulled into my driveway.

"Make sure you call a tow truck," he said. I nodded and opened the car door.

"Thanks for the ride," I mumbled, getting out of the car. I heard him reply with a 'no problem' before I closed the door behind me.

I walked to my front door and turned to see him drive away. I opened the door and walked into the living room. My mother and Luke were sitting there, watching some show on T.V.

"Hey, sweetie how was school?" my mom asked me.

"Fine, but my car wouldn't start so I need to call a tow truck to go get it," I told her.

"Why wouldn't it start?" Luke asked.

"Um, something's wrong with the engine. I don't know what though," I replied, running a hand through my red hair.

"I'll call a truck for you. It's in the school parking lot?" I nodded, and Luke stood up to go call the tow.

"Who gave you a ride?" my mother asked.

"Someone from school," I told her. I took a seat in one of the chairs and stared at the T.V.

"How were tryouts?" she asked.

"Good, there are a lot of good people," I said. "Well, I better go do homework." I stood up and walked out of the room. I dragged myself up the stairs and into my messy room. I couldn't help but plop down onto my bed, forgetting about my stack of homework. Right now I needed a nap.

A nice, long nap.

_Review?_


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next day feeling completely refreshed. The sun was shining through my window, filling my room with light. I wanted to stay in bed forever and just enjoy the way peacefulness washed through me. After a long week of school, the weekend was finally here. As good as staying in bed sounded, though, I had things I needed to do.

I pulled my sheets back and stumbled out of bed. I almost tripped over a discarded shoe while trying to get to my door. When I managed to make it out of my bedroom alive, I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where I was instantly hit with the sweet aroma of bacon.

"Good morning," my mother said as I walked over to the frying pan.

"Morning," I greeted her. I kissed her cheek and sat down at the round table we had located in the center of our small kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" she asked me.

"Starving," I replied, pulling my knees up to my chest on the chair. I wrapped my arms around my knees as my mother laid a plate of bacon in front of me.

"How did you sleep?" I picked up a piece of crisp bacon and took a bite.

"Great, I needed to sleep in," I told her. She grabbed her own plate and sat down across from me.

"So, we never got to really talk about how your tryouts went." I finished my piece of bacon and started on the next one.

"They were good. I already can't wait to see if I got the part," I said. She smiled at me.

"When do you find out?"

"The end of next week. They'll probably post them on the school website, so I'll be checking it every day all next week," I said, starting to get excited. I was anxious to see which part I was going to get.

"I'm sure you did great. There's no need to worry about not getting a good part." I didn't tell her that I wasn't worried about not getting a good part, it was getting the main part with Jace that I was worried about.

"Did you call the tow truck?" I asked, eating another piece of bacon.

"Luke did, they picked your car up yesterday and he had them take it to a shop to be looked at. You'll be without a car for a while. Is that a problem?" I held back a groan. I liked driving myself places. I didn't want to feel like a charity case and have my friends drive me everywhere I need to go. The only other car we had was Luke's, and he needed that to get to work every day.

"I guess I could just ask Simon or Isabelle for a ride." My mom nodded and stood up to take our plates to the sink. She started to wash the dishes as I stood up.

"I'm going to go get dressed," I told her, walking out of the room. I took the stairs two at a time and pushed open the door to my bed room. I was debating whether or not to spend the day picking up my room, or if I should just call Simon and ask if he wanted to hang out. I'd call Isabelle, but she'd probably want to go shopping or something, and I'd much rather clean my room than spend the day trying on all kinds of different outfits.

I looked around for my phone, finding it on my desk, and called Simon. It rang twice before his voice was on the other line.

"Hey, Si, want to hang today?" I asked, starting to pick up discarded clothes and throwing them on my bed.

"I can't, sorry Clary. Eric wanted to get another practice in before this gig we have tomorrow," Simon told me. My shoulders slumped as I picked up more clothes.

"That's okay, I should probably clean my room anyway," I said. I heard him chuckle.

"You've finally realized that room is a death trap?" I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"I did almost kill myself trying to get out of it today," I told him. He laughed again before saying he had to go. We said goodbye and I hung up the phone. I tossed it back on my desk and picked up the rest of the clothes.

I went downstairs to grab a basket from our laundry room and headed back up to my room. I threw all the clothes into the basket and put it out in the hall. My room already looked better with all the clothes out of the way. All that was left was my shoes lying around everywhere and a few crumpled up pieces of paper from failed sketches. I grabbed my trash can and picked up the paper, and then I shoved all the shoes into my closet.

My room was noticeably cleaner, so I figured that was enough and took the basket of clothes downstairs. I started a load of laundry and went to watch T.V. I spent a few minutes flipping through channels before deciding that nothing good was on. It was only noon, and I was already having a boring Saturday.

I wanted to go to the Library, but I didn't have a car. It was only a few blocks away, so I could always walk there. The thought of staying home with nothing to do was enough to send me up the stairs to change into dark jeans and a green shirt. I grabbed my bag and threw my phone and some money in it.

I went back downstairs and ran into my mom.

"Hey, mom, I'm going to go to the library," I told her.

"Okay, just be careful," she said. I nodded and headed out the door.

I walked down the street, getting farther and farther away from Luke's house. It was a fairly warm day out, so I didn't mind walking. I could have called a cab or something, but I didn't have any money.

The whole walk I was lost in my thoughts. It took me awhile, but I've finally decided that I've been overreacting about the whole Jace problem. Was it really a problem? Sure I couldn't stand him, but acting was one of my favorite things to do. I wouldn't let Jace get in the way of that. He could be the biggest jerk ever, and I still wouldn't let that get in my way.

I felt much better, and I knew it was true. Jace Wayland wasn't going to get in my way.

* * *

Sunday went by faster than Saturday did.

My mother and I spent time together shopping, but unlike with Izzy, it was painless. We talked a lot about school and the play. I told her what it was about and which part I tried out for. She asked me about my character and how I thought the other people trying out did. Overall, it was a pretty relaxing day.

I got home that night and went straight upstairs to tackle my homework. I had gotten most of it done at school, but I still had a page of math to do and a biology worksheet.

When I was finished, I took a quick shower and then crawled into my bed. I was more tired than I thought.

Right when my head hit the pillow, I felt myself start to drift off.

_That was more of a filler chapter. The next one will be better, hopefully._

_Review._


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for the extremely late update. I had finals. If you've had them, then you know how I feel. If you haven't, then you are one lucky person. Anyway, here ya go._

_Beep, beep, beep._

I laid there, trying to figure out what that _beeping _was when it dawned on me.

It was Monday.

I groaned and reached a hand out to slam on the _off _button of my alarm clock. I pulled the sheets back and stumbled out of bed. I rubbed at my eyes and stretched my arms. Suppressing another groan, I made my way across the hall to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and walked back to my room wearing a towel. I rummaged through my drawers for my clothes, which included a T-shirt and jeans, and quickly put them on.

I took my towel and hung it on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. Then I ran a comb through my hair and brushed my teeth. I tried to towel dry my hair, but it was still a little wet as I made my way downstairs for breakfast.

Luke was sitting at the table reading the newspaper. He had his glasses pushed to the end of his nose while he held a cup of coffee in his right hand. My mother was pouring herself a cup and asked if I wanted some. I sat across from Luke as my mother placed a mug in front of me before sitting down beside me.

I took a drink of the hot coffee, which burned as it slid down my throat. I got up and searched through our cabinets for anything decent to eat for breakfast. I settled on a granola bar and a banana.

"How are you getting to school Clary?" my mother asked me.

"Simon's taking me. I called him yesterday and asked if he could give me a ride," I told her. I took a bite of the granola bar and another drink of coffee.

"That's nice of him," she replied. I nodded as I continued to eat my breakfast.

"So, Jocelyn, are you doing anything today?" Luke asked my mother.

I tuned out their conversation and finished my breakfast before heading up to my room to grab my backpack. A car honked outside and I knew Simon was here. I said goodbye to Luke and Jocelyn before closing the front door behind me.

Simon was waiting in his old, beat-up car, his radio turned up as loud as it could go. I opened the passenger side's door and threw my backpack in the backseat before climbing in. Simon and I exchanged "hellos" as he backed out of the driveway.

"So how was your gig?" I ask him as we made our way to school.

"We were amazing, of course," he replied. I smiled and laughed.

"What? You don't believe me?" he asked in a serious voice, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

"No, no, of course you were amazing." He smiled and took a left turn.

"That's more like it," he mumbled. I laughed again and leaned back in my seat.

I hummed along to a song that come on the radio and had to punch Simon in the arm to shut him up after he started to sing.

We pulled into the parking lot and Simon drove around looking for a spot. He found one and parked the car. I grabbed my bag and got out, shutting the door behind me.

Simon told me about his new video game while we walked into the school. He switched from talking about his new war game to the new comic he bought. By then we were at my locker, and I pulled it open it grab all the books I needed. Simon went on and on and I was really only half listening to what he was saying. Simon was my best friend, but he didn't know how to stop talking.

The bell rang, cutting Simon off.

"I'll see you at lunch, Si," I told him. He replied with a goodbye and I started to walk down the hall. I reached the door to the Math room and walked inside. I made my way to my seat, stepping over people's backpacks that were lying in the aisle, until I plopped down on my chair. Mrs. Jennings started to write something on the board as more students walked in.

I looked around the room, bored. That's when I noticed that Jace was staring at me. I made eye contact with him, thinking he'd look away but he didn't. His golden eyes stared back at me, and for a moment there I felt lost in them. Then Mrs. Jennings's voice rang out, and I looked away. I glanced back at Jace to find him still looking at me, but this time I didn't hold his gaze. I had a weird feeling at the pit of my stomach.

Mrs. Jennings was saying something about equations, but I wasn't paying any attention to her. Instead I was trying not to look at Jace. I could feel him still staring at me, but I didn't want to look over. Class seemed to go on forever, and I felt myself start to get on edge. I couldn't decide if it was creepy or not that Jace was staring at me all through class, and that's when I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Like my hair was a mess, or I had something on my face.

The bell rang, and I stole a look at Jace. He wasn't looking at me anymore; instead he was packing his things into his backpack. I started to do the same when I saw Jace coming towards me in my peripheral vision. I didn't look at him because I wasn't sure if he was really coming towards me. But then he stopped at my desk.

"Hey, Clary," he greeted me. I didn't look up.

"Jace," I replied, zipping my backpack up.

"Did you get your car fixed?" he asked me. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and looked at him.

"It's in the shop right now," I told him.

"Good." We were met with an awkward silence and I coughed trying to break it.

"Do you need a ride after school?" he asked me. I noticed my heart skipped a beat at the thought of riding with Jace again, but I ignored it.

"Um, no. Simon's giving me a ride," I said. He nodded, and I thought I saw disappointment flash in his eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure.

"Well then, I'll see you later, I guess," I said.

"Yeah, see you later." I walked around him and his arm brushed mine. My arm had that weird tingling feeling and I tried to ignore it. What was up with me? Getting lost in Jace's eyes was bad enough, but having a reaction to his arm touching mine was terrible.

I walked out of the room, wanting to get as far from Jace as possible. Even though I tried not to, I thought about Jace all the way to my next class. It wasn't just me who was acting weird around him. He was doing weird things too. Like giving me a ride home and staring at me all through Algebra class. It was also weird that he came up and talked to me. It was unusual for him to talk to me at all, let alone about my car or to offer me another ride.

And that tingling feeling I had? What was that all about? I'm also not sure what that feeling in my stomach was earlier when he was staring at me. Maybe I was just crept out, but when I thought about it, I knew that wasn't it. Normally, though, it would be creepy to have someone staring at you, but Jace looking at me didn't creep me out. Not even a tiny bit.

Which meant I had a major problem that really needed to be fixed.

_I give you permission to hate this chapter. I was going to write more, but I needed to get a chapter out there. It's been too long since I last updated. The next chapter will skip ahead a few days so we can see who got which part. Hopefully see you soon! _

_Review._


	8. Chapter 8

_Went out of town = Late update. Alright, this is set three days later. Enjoy!_

The week seemed to have gone by really slowly. It was now Thursday, and I didn't know if I could take waiting anymore. I was constantly checking my email on my phone to see if Mr. Hacker sent the parts to everyone. But there was no such luck.

I impatiently tapped my fingers on my desk during Biology class. Simon laid his hand on top of mine, stilling my fingers. I sighed and he gave me a knowing look before slumping in his seat and looking out the window. I ignored Mr. Carroway's lecture on the new system we were learning and instead let my mind wander.

After we find out the parts to the play, Mr. Hacker will give us all a script and we'll get the weekend to read it over. Then on Monday we will have our first play practice. I was bubbling with excitement just thinking about it.

I ran my hand through my red hair and rested my head on my arm. I glanced at the clock, watching as the second hand moved slowly around the clock.

"Ms. Fray?"

I raised my head and looked at the teacher. He was staring at me, waiting.

"Uh, yes?" Some of the students giggled. Mr. Carroway sighed.

"What is the answer?" I tried to think back on the question, but I didn't register a single thing he was saying. I looked over at Simon for help, but he just shrugged.

"Can you repeat the question?" I asked. Mr. Carroway glared at me.

"If you were paying attention instead of staring off into space, I wouldn't have to repeat myself," he replied.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"What is a reflex?" he asked again. I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a smart answer.

"It's a quick involuntary action," I said. He nodded his head and continued teaching us about what reflexes had to do with the Nervous System.

I went back to staring at the clock, but it seemed to go by even slower when I did that. I sighed and leaned my head on my hand. Class would be over in five minutes, but as time passed it felt like days.

Finally the bell rang and I shot up from my seat. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, and then I headed out the door with Simon on my heels. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pulled it out, reading the text message from Maia.

_Clary, the play parts are up! Come to Mr. Hacker's room!_

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and grabbed Simon's arm.

"Woah, Clary," he said as I started to run down the halls. I didn't pay any attention to him and just hurried down to the director's room. When I finally made it, there was a huddle of people standing in front of a sheet, just like when the sign-up sheet was up. I ignored everyone talking and just pushed through them to see the sheet.

"What part did you get?" Simon asked from behind me. I looked for my name and found it right away. A big smile spread across my face and I spun around to face Simon.

"I'm playing Lilah!" I exclaimed. He grinned and hugged me. I hugged him back before letting him go.

"What did Maia get?" I turned back around and searched for her name.

"She's playing Olivia Jackens," I told him. He had a confused look on his face.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"I think it's Lilah's friend or something, but I know it's a good part," I said. I looked back at the sheet, and to nobody's surprise, Jace was playing Will.

"Come on, people want to look," I told Simon, and we walked together away from the crowd.

"Clary!"

I looked around and spotted Maia waving at me. I waved back and walked up to her.

"Did you see?" she asked with excitement clear on her face.

"Yeah, I did!" I replied. She smiled and also hugged me.

"Congratulations," she said.

"Thank you. You too," I told her.

"Thanks," she replied. That's when I spotted Jace coming down the hall. He made eye contact with me and smirked. Then he walked up to the sheet, ignoring everyone else, and looked for his name. I watched as he found his part and smirked again. Aline and Kaelie were behind him and I heard them squeal as they found out his part. Aline wrapped her arms around Jace's neck and he quickly hugged her before pushing her away.

Aline scowled for a moment before she plastered a big, fake smile on her face. Then she turned and found hers and Kaelie's part. I heard them both squeal again as they hugged each other, jumping up and down. I wondered for a moment what parts they got before turning back around to face Simon and Maia.

"So, Jace has the main part," Maia stated. "How do you feel about that?"

I thought for a moment and realized I really didn't care.

"It doesn't matter. I can handle him," I replied.

"Good," Simon said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Well, I better get going. We should all hang out tomorrow," Maia said. Both Simon and I agreed and she walked away.

"Go get your books and meet me at my car," Simon told me. I nodded and we both headed our separate ways to our lockers.

I slowly walked down the halls, picking at a loose threat on the hem of my jacket.

"Looks like you're the lucky girl who gets to work with _the _Jace Wayland."

I turned, a frown already on my face.

"Yes, lucky me," I replied sarcastically. Jace did his trademark smirk and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"You know, by the end of this play, you'll fall in love with me," he told me. I laughed as if it was the funniest thing I had ever heard, which it probably was.

"Right." I kept walking as Jace followed.

"It's true, most girls can't resist my charm," he said with a smile. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"How do you do it?" I said with no emotion in my voice.

"Usually all I have to do is stare into their eyes and smile, and then they're mine," he replied.

"Then a few days later you dump them because you're an ass," I said sweetly. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes a little.

"If I'm such an ass, why do girls still go out with me?" he questioned, raising and eyebrow.

"Because you're hot."

It slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I wanted to take the words and shove them back down my throat. But it was too late. Jace's eyebrows were both raised and he had a 'gotcha' smile on his face.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked, his smile still wide.

"That's not what I meant. I just . . . I mean-" I cut off. "Will you stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" he said innocently, his hands raised as if in surrender.

"That smile that you're giving me." The smile reappeared. "That!" He just laughed, his smile not faltering.

"God, you make me so mad," I mumbled and started to walk faster, hoping to get away from him. No such luck. He quickened his paste to keep up with me.

"So what do you think is hot about me?" I groaned and looked sideways at him.

"I don't think you're hot," I told him.

"But you just said-"

"I meant that _they _think you're hot, so that's why they go out with you. Not that _I _think you are," I lied. Jace _was_ hot, but I'd never admit that to him, not on purpose at least.

"You know, you are a terrible liar," he stated. I huffed and walked a little bit faster.

"Too bad I'm not lying. I _do not _think you're hot," I repeated.

"Yes you do," he said smugly. "All girls think I'm hot."

"You are so full of yourself, you know that?"

I finally reached my locker and dialed my combination.

"I'm just stating a fact," he replied simply. I pulled my locker open and put my Biology book in it.

"You're still in biology?" he questioned. I glared at him.

"Science isn't my best subject, okay?" He snorted, which shouldn't be attractive, but it was on him.

"But Freshmen take that." I gave him a 'so what' look and grabbed my math book before closing my locker and zipping up my backpack.

"Why don't you get a tutor?" he questioned.

"Because I don't want a tutor. I like being in _that _class," I told him.

"Why, because you're geeky friend is in it?" he asked, folding his arms and leaning against the lockers.

"_Simon _is not geeky." Jace scoffed.

"He wears gamer T-shirts," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"So, you're point?" I asked, also leaning against the locker.

"He's a nerd," he replied, shrugging.

"He's my friend. And he's waiting for me. Goodbye Jace," I said, turning around to leave.

"See you tomorrow," he called after me, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Whatever," I mumbled, heading out the door.

I walked down the lot, looking for the spot we parked in. I spotted Simon's car and took my place in the passenger seat.

"What took you so long?" Simon asked as I closed the door behind me.

"Jace," I replied. Simon got a knowing look and put the car in reverse.

"What did he want?" he asked.

"Well, he started the conversation with, 'Looks like you're the lucky girl who gets to work with _the _Jace Wayland'. Is that enough explanation?" I didn't want to tell Simon about my little slip up. I was embarrassed enough just thinking about it.

"Mmm," he hummed. "Must have been some interesting conversation. Too bad I missed out."

"Yeah, too bad." We drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. Simon hummed along to the radio as I stared out the window.

When we pulled into my driveway, Simon turned and looked at me.

"So, are we going to hang out tomorrow with Maia?" he asked. I nodded and opened the door.

"Sure, we'll talk about it tomorrow at lunch."

"Okay, see ya," he said, putting the gear shift in reverse. I closed the door and walked up to my porch. I waved to Simon as he drove out of sight.

I opened the front door and walked inside. Luke and my mother were in the living room watching something on T.V.

"Hey, guys," I greeted them.

"Clary, come have a seat." I sat next to my mother and she wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "How was school?"

"Good, we got our play parts," I told them. Her face broke out into a grin.

"Oh, what part are you?" she asked.

"Lilah, the main part," I replied. My mother hugged me.

"I knew you could do it!" I smiled.

"Congrats, kid," Luke said, coming over and giving me a hug.

"Thank you," I said to them both.

"Do you have any homework?" my mom asked me.

"Math, but it shouldn't be too hard," I answered.

"I'll call you down when dinner is ready," she told me. I thanked her and headed up to my room.

Excitement started to bubble up inside me. I got the main part! Since it was Thursday, Mr. Hacker would hand out the scripts tomorrow. If it were to be Friday, we would receive them in the mail. I couldn't wait until Monday when we started rehearsals. It seemed like everything was going to turn out okay, for now at least.

Maybe I was lucky after all.

_Review. _


	9. Chapter 9

_My internet wasn't working so that is why this chapter is extremely late. I was going to finish it two days ago and post it, but for some reason whenever I clicked on 'Doc Manager (Upload)', it said that the page couldn't be loaded. But now it seems to be working. And then yesterday I was writing the rest of the chapter, but my friend came over and I accidently exited out of it without saving. So I had to rewrite some of it. Now today I am finishing it. Oh, and Happy Fourth of July to those of you in America._

_Thank you everyone who has reviewed this story! You all are amazing. Here's your next update!_

The weekend went by a lot faster than the past one. I spent Friday evening going to the movies with Simon, Maia, and Isabelle. I tried to ignore the looks Isabelle kept giving Maia whenever she was hanging around Simon talking about the latest video game they both bought. I also ignored the glare Izzy gave the two when they made plans to play it at Simon's house.

I've known for a while that Isabelle liked Simon, and I always thought he liked her too, but the way he was talking only to Maia that night made me second guess my thought. I felt a little bad for Izzy, but it's not like she couldn't get another guy. She was _Isabelle_ after all.

On Saturday I took the entire day to work on my lines. My mother and Luke also helped me by feeding me the lines. By the time the day was over, I had the first act memorized. I felt satisfied with my day's work that night as I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I ran over the lines in my head as I drifted off to sleep.

By the time Monday came, I was sure of the first act of the play. I went to school that day, Simon still driving me, content.

I walked straight to Math class, not bothering with my books because I already had my book from the huge Math packet we had to do over the weekend. I pushed open the classroom door and made my way to my seat, dodging the backpacks that always seemed to be in the aisles.

I took my seat and dragged my book out of my backpack. This girl named Lizzy took her seat at the desk next to me and started examining her nails.

"Hey, Clary," she greeted me, not looking up from her nails. I knew Lizzy a little bit; she also tries out for the plays, so it wasn't unusual that she was talking to me.

"Hey, Lizzy, how's it going?" I asked her. She dropped her hands and slouched in her chair.

"Fine, congrats on the play part," she told me, also grabbing her book and tossing it on her desk.

"Thanks, what part did you get?" I questioned. Lizzy wasn't one for eye contact, so she stared at her Math book with a bored expression on her face when she answered.

"Some co-worker." She shrugged. I nodded my head, lost for words. But I didn't need them because Lizzy laid her head in her arms, facing away from me, ending the conversation. I looked at the door just as Jace walked in, and I couldn't help but stare at him as he made his way to his seat. A few people greeted him as he walked past, and he smiled back at them. He looked at me and I averted my eyes.

I sighed as Mrs. Jennings stood up from her desk and started to write something on the board. The bell rang and a few people quieted down. I could hear some people in the back whispering to each other, but Mrs. Jennings seemed to not have noticed them.

"Alright everyone, turn to page 487," she commanded in her scratchy voice. Mrs. Jennings was a medium-sized woman with greying, brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her face was frozen in a scowl, and nobody really knew how old she was. She could be in her hundreds for all we knew.

"I want you all to work on the questions on this page, and in half an hour I will stop you and we will corrected them," she told us, sitting back down in her chair.

I looked down at my book. There were over eighty questions on the page, and I wondered if I could get them all done in half an hour. They were all complicated equations, and I ended up skipping the ones I couldn't figure out, which happened to be quite a few of them.

When thirty minutes passed, Mrs. Jennings stood once more. She called a person in the front to come up and solve the first problem on the board.

The class passed like that for the rest of the hour. We didn't get through all the problems, and I left the room with promises of continuing this the next day.

My next class was Study Hall. I walked up the steps leading to the second floor where my Study Hall room was. It was only the second class but I was already wishing the day would end. I couldn't wait for tryouts. That thought got me through the day.

After Study Hall I went to Art. My teacher had us working on paintings of flowers. I chose to paint a white lily that was yellow in the inside. I was pretty good at art. If I chose something other than acting, it would be art. My mother loved to paint, so she gave me lessons when I was younger. Then I started to take acting classes in grade school, and I didn't have much time for art.

My next class before lunch was French. And Mrs. Ralfs only had us watch a French video teaching us the vocab we were learning. Our whole class loved to make fun of the videos because the two awkward teenagers in it tried to use every vocab word in their sentences, making the dialogue unbearable.

The bell rang and the day was half way over.

I walked to the lunch room. I had cold lunch, so I ignored the long line of people and walked straight to our table. I sat down next to Isabelle and across from Simon.

"Hey," I said to them. They greeted me in return and I dug into my lunch.

"So, first play practice?" Isabelle asked, biting into her sandwich. I nodded and pulled out a bag of chips.

"Excited?" Simon questioned.

"Yeah." We made small talk about tryouts and the movie we saw that Friday. Maia joined us after having to wait in the lunch line.

"It's like a jungle up there," she said, sitting down next to Simon, causing her to receive a glare from Isabelle. Maia didn't notice the look, but instead picked up her fork and spread the sauce over her spaghetti.

"Clary, meet me at my locker after school and we can go to rehearsals," Maia told me. I agreed and we talked a little bit more about the play while Simon and Isabelle took up some conversation about Simon's lack of style.

The lunch bell rang ten minutes later and we all stood up from our seats.

"See you later, guys," Maia said before she exited out the lunch doors with Simon following behind her.

"Why does he always go with her?" Isabelle said, glaring at the door they left out of.

"They have History together," I told her. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"So, he never walks with me to my classes," she complained. I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

"You two don't have any classes together," I reminded her. She looked over at me and we started to walk out the door.

"He could still walk me to my classes. It would be the nice, gentlemanly thing to do." I walked with her to my English class as she complained about Simon. I listened, nodding my head here and there, before we reached my class room.

"I'll talk to you later, Izzy," I said, cutting her off. She nodded and walked away, an annoyed look on her face. This time I did roll my eyes as I stepped into my class room.

I sat through English class while Mrs. Freeman talked about the book we were currently reading. I was already finished with it, so I just stared off into space and thought about practice after school. When it came around play time, that's really all I ever thought about.

My next class was History with Mr. Scheeler. He was an old teacher who had been there for more than half his life. You could skip his classes and he probably wouldn't notice. Some people actually do occasionally.

After that I had Religion with Mr. Linals. I found that class to be the most boring. Don't get me wrong, I'm holy and all, but I'd rather not sit there and listen to a teacher drone on about the bible. So I was relieved when the bell rang.

Then it was finally my last class. I walked to Biology and took my seat next to Simon, who was already sitting in his chair with his head in his hands. He looked up as I scraped my chair against the hard floor.

"Is Isabelle mad at me? Because when I passed by her in the halls I said hi and she just ignored me and kept walking," he told me. I thought for a moment. Was I allowed to tell him? Or was there some rule in the "Girl Book" about telling your friend's crush that she likes him? I rolled my eyes and told him anyway.

"Yeah, she is," I said. He had a confused look on his face.

"But why? I didn't do anything," he replied, slumping in his chair.

"She's mad because you keep spending time with Maia," I told him. He still looked confused as he raised his eyebrow.

"Why would she care if I'm spending time with Maia? Maia's my friend." I internally rolled my eyes at Simon's lack of knowledge about girls.

"Because she likes you Simon, duh. And when a girl likes a guy, she doesn't want to see him hanging out with other girls," I explained to him slowly so he'd get it.

"That is ridiculous," he said simply. I shrugged.

"That's Isabelle," I replied. Mr. Carroway walked into the room late again. He placed some papers on his desk and then turned to face us.

"Alright, class, let's begin."

We took notes all class until the bell rang. I jumped out of my seat, and Simon smiled at me.

"Slow down, Fray. Where's the fire?" he asked jokingly. I laughed sarcastically and grabbed my bag.

"Have fun," Simon said behind me as I rushed out the door.

I walked to Maia's locker so that I could go with her to practice. She wasn't there yet so I stood there, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Excuse me," someone said. I looked over to find none other than Jace standing there, his arms crossed.

"What?" I asked.

"That's my locker," he said, pointing behind me.

"Oh, sorry," I blushed, moving over to stand in front of Maia's locker. Jace reached forward and dialed his combo before pulling open the locker door and grabbing a book.

"See you at practice," he said, winking as he shut the door and took off in the opposite direction of me. I watched him walk down the hall until he disappeared around the corner.

A few minutes later, Maia came down the hall. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Hey, sorry, I left one of my books in my math class," she told me.

"No problem," I responded, moving out of the way. She opened her locker and grabbed all the books she needed, replacing them with the ones in her bag.

"Alright, let's go," she said excitedly. We walked together to the auditorium and sat in the spots we were in last time.

Most of the people were already there, and a few more walked in while Mr. Hacker took the stage. He smiled at us all and clapped his hands, getting our attention.

"How is everyone?" he asked. People responded with "Goods" and "Fines", and Mr. Hacker turned to Ms. Lacy. He told her something I couldn't hear, and she scurried off the stage.

"Okay, for today we are going to read through the first act of the script. So can I have everyone who is in Scene One come up to the stage please?"

A few students, including Maia and me, stood up and made our way to the stage. Ms. Lacy came back holding a few chairs. She put them down and then went back to get more. Mr. Hacker had some of the students go back and help her, and pretty soon we all had chairs arranged in a circle. The students who weren't in the first scene were sitting in their seats talking. Mr. Hacker told them to all quiet down and he started to read the narration of the first scene.

Then he had the first person read through their lines and it went on like that until we were finished with the first scene. Next, he called up everyone who was in the second scene. Maia and I stayed on stage as some people left and others came up.

We did the same until we reached the fifth scene. Mr. Hacker stood up and told us all practice was over. He had us pick up the chairs and place them back in the storage room.

I walked with Maia out of the school and she turned to look at me.

"Do you need a ride?" she asked me. I felt like face-palming myself. I totally forgot about my ride home.

"If you don't mind," I told her. "I completely forgot. Simon usually gives me rides, but since we had practice . . ." I trailed off.

"It's fine. My car's over here." I followed her across the lot until we reached her car. I got into the passenger side and she situated herself at the wheel.

"So, how did you like Iowa?" I asked her as she pulled out of the lot.

"It was fine. I like it here though," she told me.

"Do you miss any of your friends?" I asked. She shrugged and made a turn.

"Yeah, I do, but I have new friends." She turned and smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Did you have a boyfriend?" I asked her. Her face turned serious and I saw her swallow hard.

"Um, I did, but we broke up before I left. His name was Jordan. He cheated on me," she told me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay, I'm just glad I found out before we left." I nodded and looked out my window. I guided Maia through my neighborhood until we reached my house. She pulled into my driveway and parked the car.

"Thanks for the ride," I told her.

"No problem. When do you get your car back?" she asked.

"Hopefully soon," I said. She laughed, and I got out of the car and shut the door.

"Clary," she called out her open window. I looked back at her.

"If you ever need a ride, just ask," she told me.

I thanked her and walked into my house, shutting the door behind me.

_You guys should check out the awards - They just started and my friend is a Mod. It's called the Mundie Awards. You can find it in the Mortal Instruments Forums._


	10. Chapter 10

_I almost have 100 reviews! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, even if it was only once. Here's the next chapter. And if you see any mistakes, will you tell me? Thanks._

"Alright everyone, calm down, take your seats," Mr. Hacker called out to the students. Everyone sat down, and their voices lowered to the occasional whisper.

"Thank you! Now, can I have," Mr. Hacker looked down at his clip board, "Clary Fray, Jace Wayland, Aline Penhallow, and Kaelie Jacobs come up to the stage please?"

I stood up and walked down the aisle to the stage stairs. Aline and Kaelie followed behind me, but I ignored the looks they were giving me behind my back. We all walked to the center of the stage and stood next to Mr. Hacker.

"Good, now Ms. Fray, can I have you stand," he moved to a spot on the left side of the stage," right here. And Mr. Wayland come stand," he moved to another spot next to where I was supposed to stand," here. Ms. Penhallow and Ms. Jacobs, I need you to go off stage a little." They moved back to stand next to the stairs, and Mr. Hacker smiled. "Perfect."

We had gone through the first week just sitting and reading over the play. Then the week after that we started to actually act out the scenes. We were on the second scene in the second act.

"Now, this is the scene where we introduce the Kemp Sisters, Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Penhallow. You ladies will come onto the center stage when it's your cue and say your lines. Alright, Ms. Fray, Mr. Wayland, the scene starts with you two running errands for Mr. Miller. Outside a shop you meet the Kemp Sisters, Alice and Maranda," Mr. Hacker told us, reading off of his clip board. "Okay, let's get started!"

I took a deep breath and glanced over at Jace. His expression was no longer bored, he was ready. Kaelie and Aline were staring with blank expressions on their faces, just waiting for their cue.

"Alright, your start Ms. Fray," Mr. Hacker told me. I nodded, and he gave me the cue to start.

"'What I don't understand,'" I said to Jace as we started to walk to center stage, "'is why you had to come with me.'" He rolled his eyes, playing the part, and looked down at me.

"'Can't you just thank me and move on? What _I _don't understand is why you hate me so much,'" he replied. I sighed as we reached the center of the stage. Jace stopped and turned to face me.

"'I never said I hated you,'" I told him, "'you just know how to get on my nerves.'" Jace chuckled and shook his head.

"'It's a gift,'" he replied smugly. I huffed and started to walk again, "running" into Kaelie.

"'Hey, watch it!'" she yelled.

"'Sorry,'" I mumbled, pretending to reach down and pick up what Kaelie "dropped". She reached out and grabbed the air in my hands.

"'You should be,'" Aline sneered, coming up next to Kaelie.

"'Hey, it was an accident,'" Jace said beside me. Kaelie's eyes landed on Jace, and she got this look on her face that I've seen on many girls' faces whenever they see Jace. But I don't think Kaelie really had to act to obtain that look.

"'Oh, and who might you be?'" she asked politely, batting her eyelashes.

"'Will O'Connell,'" he said dully. Kaelie batted her eye lashes again and smiled a big, cheesy smile. She held out her hand to shake his, but Jace ignored it, and Kaelie awkwardly dropped it to her side.

"'Nice to meet you, I'm Alice Kemp, and this is my sister Maranda,'" Kaelie said, gesturing to Aline. Aline smiled and also eyed Jace.

Jace nodded and grabbed my arm.

"'Well, we better go, we have errands to run,'" he told the two girls. Kaelie's smile faltered a little.

"'Do you have to leave so soon? We could go have coffee, or get something to eat?'" she asked. Jace shook his head.

"'We really are busy,'" he replied stiffly, dragging me past the girls.

"'Okay . . . but maybe we'll see you again. Bye!'" Kaelie called after us. Jace pretended to ignore them as he pulled me off the side of the stage.

Kaelie turned to look at Aline.

"'Somebody has a crush,'" Aline joked.

"'Well, can you blame me? Did you _see _him? And who was that ugly girl he was with?'" she asked, glaring in my direction. I couldn't help but feel as if she meant it.

"'Who cares, she's probably nothing,'" Aline replied. Kaelie nodded, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"'Probably. Hm . . . Will,'" she said, testing the name on her tongue. She looked off to where Jace and I were standing. "'I will see him again. And hopefully soon.'"

Kaelie turned back to Aline and linked her arm though hers.

"'Come, Sister, we have more shopping to do.'" Aline smiled and they walked off stage.

"Good job you four!" Mr. Hacker said. We all met back in the center of the stage. "Now, you know when we actually present the show, you will go backstage instead of just standing off to the side." We nodded. "Good! That's all for today. Thank you everyone! Fabulous job!"

I walked down the stairs with Jace following behind me.

"Good job, Fray," he said. He stuck his hands in his pockets as we walked out of the auditorium.

"Thanks, you too," I told him. There was an awkward silence, and I coughed to fill it. Jace cleared his throat.

"Okay . . . see you tomorrow then." I nodded and he walked off. I watched him go and shook my head, sighing.

Jace was weird. Some moments he's actually nice, others he just annoys the hell out of me.

I walked to my car (which I finally got back last week) and sat in the driver's side. I put the key in and turned it, listening to the engine purr.

"Good car," I said, stroking the dashboard.

I pulled out of my space and drove home.

_Oh God, that was short. D: Sorry, but it was taking me a while to update, and I had to send in an update. Besides, there's not much to this chapter anyway. _

_So, we got further into the play. I'm basing what they're doing off what we did for our play. (First just reading over the lines and then acting them out multiple times). Thanks for reading! My next update will hopefully be longer. Stupid ass writer's block. -_-_


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot to me. I'm glad some people are actually reading this story. Here's the next chapter._

We had just got done with practice when Olivia Compton, a girl who was playing one of the smaller roles, came up to me. Her blonde hair was tied into a pony tail and she was wearing her usual color: pink.

"Hey, Clary!" she greeted me, a big smile on her face.

"Hi, Olivia," I replied. I didn't talk to her much, but I always thought she was a nice person.

"Since it's Friday, a few of us were going out to have dinner, would you like to come?" she asked me. I thought about it. I could go and hang out with people I hardly knew, or I could stay home by myself on a Friday night. Neither one of the options seemed very enjoyable. But I could always ask Maia to come with me.

"That sounds fun, but can I invite Maia?" I asked her. I knew she would say yes, but I felt more polite asking.

"Of course, bring anyone you'd like. We're meeting at the pizza place down the street at six. See ya there!" She walked, or more like skipped, back to a little group of what I assumed where her friends.

I walked over to where Maia was gathering her stuff together from one of the seats.

"Hey, Maia," I said. She looked up at me and smiled.

"What's up, Clary?" she questioned as we walked out of the auditorium together.

"Some people were going out to dinner, want to come?" I asked hopefully. Maia pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Sounds good, what time?" I told her the details and she nodded.

"Great, I'll just go home and change and meet you there." We said goodbye and she left to go to her car.

I walked through the lot until I reached my car and got in. The inside smelled like the pine tree air freshener I had hanging on the mirror. I looked over my shoulder as I pulled out of the parking space. I drove home so that I could get ready for tonight. It was almost five o'clock, so I had more than an hour to get ready.

I reached my house and pulled into the drive way. Luke's car was gone, so I assumed he was still at work.

"Mom, I'm home!" I called out as I closed the front door behind me. I looked at the little table by the door to find a note on it.

_Clary,_

_Luke and I are out to dinner. We won't be back until later. There's left-overs in the fridge if your hungry. Have fun!_

_Love Mom._

I crumpled the note up and threw it in the trash. Then I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a can of soda before heading up to my room. I picked up my IPod that was lying on my bed and plugged it into the player. One of my favorite songs was already playing and I turned up the volume.

I took a quick shower and ended up having to blow dry my hair. Normally I'd just let it air dry, but I didn't want to go out to eat with wet hair. After it was dried, I debated whether or not I should straighten it. My hair was pretty curly, especially after I showered. I ended up just putting something in my hair to tame the curls.

I dug around my dresser for something else to wear tonight. I decided to keep on my jeans from school, but changed my shirt into something nicer than a T-shirt. I put on a little bit of make-up and declared myself ready. It was five forty-three.

I went downstairs and wrote a note to my mom, just in case she came home before me. I placed it where she left hers and grabbed my car keys. I made sure the door was locked before going to my car.

When I got to the pizza place, almost all the spots were filled with cars. I parked my car in one of the only empty spaces and turned the key.

I walked into the crowded restaurant and looked around for our group. I found them situated in the corner at a long table. A few of the people who knew me greeted me, and I smiled back at them. I looked down the table for an empty seat and found one next to this guy in my History class whose name was Paul.

A few minutes later, I saw Maia walk through the doors. She looked around just like I had until her eyes landed on our table. She walked over and took the empty seat across from me.

"Have you ordered yet?" she asked me. I shook my head. "Do you want to split a pizza?"

I nodded. "We'll have to go up to the counter," I told her. Just then the bell on the door jingled, signaling someone else was walking in. I looked over to see if it was someone from our group, and to my disappointment, it was Aline, and behind her was Jace.

Jace's eyes went straight to our table and he scanned the faces. When his eyes landed on me, they stayed there. He smirked and made his way over to us, Aline trotting behind him.

Of course, the only spots left were next to me. Jace plopped down next to me and Aline situated herself next to him. She even moved her chair so that it was right up against him. Maia glared at Aline, obviously annoyed that she was here.

"Clary," Jace greeted me.

"Jace," I responded. He scooted his chair closer to the table (and I couldn't help but notice that he also moved it further away from Aline), and ran a hand through his hair.

I started up a conversation with Maia across the table. At some point, Jace even joined into our conversation, and it was probably one of the most normal conversations I've ever had with him. We talked about the play and how much we liked it. At some point I got up to go order Maia and me a pepperoni pizza. Jace came up behind me.

"I'll have a medium pepperoni," I told the guy behind the counter. He nodded and wrote it down, then pinned it on a wire for the cooks to see. I paid and stepped out of the way for Jace to order. I started to walk back and Jace caught up with me.

"Hey Clary, you know I was wondering-"

"Jace!" Aline yelled across the room, cutting off whatever Jace was about to say. Jace sighed and looked over at her.

"Did you order the pizza?" she asked in her obnoxious voice.

"Yes," Jace replied in frustration. By now we were back at the table. I sat back in my spot and started talking to Maia again. Whatever Jace was about to say, he didn't bring it up again.

Our pizza came twenty minutes later, and Maia and I both took a few slices. Everyone at the table was talking while they ate their pizzas. Aline was complaining to Jace about eating too much, even though she barely ate a slice of pizza. Then she got up to use the bathroom.

Jace ran another hand through his hair. I noticed he had been doing that a lot tonight.

"Frustrated?" I asked him. He groaned.

"She's driving me nuts," he responded, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on his fist.

"Well it _is _Aline . . ." I told him. He sighed.

"I know."

I wiped my mouth with my napkin and placed it on my plate. I looked at the clock on my phone. It was almost eight.

"I think I'm going to go," I told Maia. She also glanced at her phone.

"Yeah, I might head out too."

"But it's only eight," Jace said. I glanced over at him.

"I know, but I have stuff I need to finish," I said. I stood up and grabbed my bag.

"Bye, Clary," Maia said. I waved and started to head towards the door. The bell dinged again as I opened the door.

"Wait, Clary." I looked over my shoulder and found Jace coming after me. "Hey, you know, since we're in the play together, maybe we could hang out . . . and practice lines or something?" I stared at him. Did I hear him right?

"Um . . . sure, I guess," I responded. He smiled. And not one of his smirks, an actual smile.

"Great. Tomorrow? My house?" he asked uncertainly. I nodded my head and pursed my lips.

"Yeah, tomorrow's fine," I told him.

"Okay, I'll text you the address and see you tomorrow." I nodded again and started to walk backwards towards my car.

"What time?" I asked. He thought for a moment.

"Uh . . . is five okay?"

"Five's fine. I'll see you then. Goodbye Jace." I turned around and headed towards my car.

"Bye, Clary," he said. I didn't look to see if he walked back into the restaurant. I got into my car and started it up.

"Well that wasn't awkward," I mumbled sarcastically. I backed out of the space and made my way home.

_What do you think? I start school in a week, so Updates may or may not be later. Hopefully they wont because they're late as it is._


	12. Chapter 12

_Um... well... this is late._

_But here's the next chapter, hopefully not too shitty._

When I woke up the next morning, I wasn't sure if the plans I had made with Jace really happened, or if I had just dreamed up the whole thing. I reached over for my phone to see what time it was and saw I had a text from an unknown number.

_537 N. 70th St._

_See you then._

-_Jace_

I placed my phone back on my bedside table and stood up. Obviously it wasn't a dream. Stretching my arms, I walked over to my dresser to find something to wear. Once I did, I took a quick shower and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, Clary," Luke said to me as I walked into the kitchen. His glasses were pushed to the edge of his nose as he worked on some papers that I assumed were for his business.

"Morning," I replied, going over to the fridge to grab a glass of milk. "What's for breakfast?" I asked.

"We have bacon and eggs in the pan over there," Luke told me, nodding over to the stove. I grabbed a plate and loaded it with food. Then I sat down in the chair across from Luke.

"Any plans today?" he asked me. I took a bite of eggs, chewed, and swallowed before answering.

"I'm going to someone's house to work on lines for the play," I told him. He nodded and took a drink out of his coffee mug.

"Sounds good. Whose house is it?"

"Jace Wayland's." Luke thought for a moment.

"I thought you didn't like that kid," he said, eyeing me. I shrugged my shoulders, taking a bite of bacon.

"I guess I don't really know him," I replied. My mother walked into the room at that time and helped herself to a plate of eggs. Her hair was messy from sleep and she was still wearing her pajamas.

"Good morning," she said, kissing me on the head before sitting down between Luke and me. She scooted her chair up to the table and took a bite of eggs.

"Clary, did I tell you about the new painting I'm working on?" she asked me. I shook my head. "Well, last week I had this strange, but wonderful dream. I was in this unknown land, but it was beautiful, Clary. Just amazing. The grass was a bright green, the hills were majestic. And the buildings, oh the buildings. They were wonderful. Old, but yet new. They had a touch to them that gave them class. It was charming. Well, the images of this 'land' stuck with me, so I decided to paint them for everyone to see." Jocelyn had a huge grin on her face.

"Sounds wonderful, Mom. I can't wait to see it," I told her truthfully. Jocelyn clapped her hands excitedly.

"I just wish this place existed. I'd love to live there," she told me, getting up to get herself something to drink. Luke mumbled something about my mom and weird dreams, causing her to shoot him a look.

I finished my food and stood up.

"I'm going to go over to Simon's," I told them. They nodded and I went to grab my car keys. I didn't bother calling him because we always showed up at each other's houses randomly. I knew he wouldn't mind.

I got in my car and drove to his house.

* * *

"Jace . . . as in Jace Wayland? Have you lost your mind Clary? You hate him, remember?"

I sighed and laid down on Simon's bed.

"It's not that big of a deal, Simon. We're just practicing lines," I told him. He shook his head, his face still angry.

"_Sure, _that's what you think. He'll probably make a move on you and next thing you know, he'll have you sleeping with him." I sat up straight and stared at Simon wide-eyed. He was pacing back and forth across his room, his hair, like always, was messy, and his glasses were crooked.

"You _really _think I'd let him do that? Simon, have some sense. He's not going to do anything," I said, rolling my eyes. Simon sighed and glared at me.

"I still don't like it," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to," I retorted, lying back down. "Simon, stop pacing and sit down."

He didn't.

"Why are you making such a big deal about this? It's one night. And it's not like I'm going on a date with him. We're just hanging out. Not even that. It's practically like school work," I tried to reassure him. He shook his head. He stopped pacing and just stood there, staring at me.

"It's just . . ." he trailed off. The nervous look on his face had me worried.

"Just what?" I asked. Propping myself up on my elbow to get a good look at him.

"Nothing," he replied, blushing. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"If you say so." I picked up a rubber band ball he had laying on his bed and started tossing it in the air and catching it.

"How is the play going, anyway?" he asked, finally sitting down in his desk chair.

"Good, we've just been rehearsing. We're pretty far. The play night should be in a month or so." I tossed the ball up again.

"That's good." A silence settled over us. The only sounds were the smack from the ball hitting my hands and Simon turning in the creaky, rolling chair. After the ball almost hit me in the face, I let it roll across Simon's floor.

I picked up my phone and looked at the time. I had only been at Simon's for an hour. It was noon and I had nothing else to do until it was time to go to Jace's.

"Hey, want to go get some lunch?" I asked him. He nodded and stood up.

"My treat," he said, grabbing his car keys. I smiled and followed him downstairs.

* * *

We ended up going to a restaurant down the street from Simon's house. It was a nice, little diner located on the corner of the street. What I liked about it was it wasn't ever too busy and the food was cheap but good.

"Hey, so what's going on with you and Maia?" I asked him as we sat down.

"Did Isabelle ask you to say that?" he asked, looking at me over the menu.

"No, I was just wondering," I told him, searching for what I wanted to drink. I settled on a glass of chocolate milk.

"I told you, we're _just _friends." I nodded slowly, giving him a look. "It's true! Ask her yourself. Besides, she doesn't want to date anyone right now. She told me about this guy she used to go out with."

"Oh, yeah, she told me about him. Jordan was it?" Simon nodded his head.

"So what are you getting to eat?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I think I'll just get a cheese burger, what about you?" He hummed, thinking.

"I'll probably get the same and a milkshake." The waitress came and we ordered our drinks and food.

We talked for a while about Simon's band before our food came. Simon dug straight into his, his hunger taking over.

"So, you want to come see my band play tomorrow?" he asked, his mouth full of food, making me laugh and disgusting me at the same time.

"What time?" I asked, putting ketchup on my burger.

"Uh . . . six. At that coffee shop downtown. You know, the one that always has the first 'S' burned out in its sign?"

"Sassy's?" I didn't mention that it was a cheap place that nobody bothered going to, also the name sounded like a strip club. Simon nodded his head.

"That one. We're getting there early to set up. I'll pick you up if you want?" Simon took a sip of his milk shake before swallowing really loudly.

"Sounds fun," I told him. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head.

"Is that sarcasm I detect there, Fray?" he asked jokingly. I shook my head, an innocent look on my face, but I couldn't hold back my smile.

"Of course not. Pick me up and I'll come," I said. He shook his head and laughed.

"Hm, for a moment there I thought you didn't like my band," he said, sarcasm in his own voice.

"Of course I like your band," I told him, rolling my eyes. He smiled and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Mhmm, sure." I laughed again and we finished eating.

"What time is it?" he asked me as he paid the bill. I looked at my phone.

"One seventeen," I replied, putting my phone back in my pocket. I never carried a purse around. Why should I when I have perfectly good pockets?

"I have to go to band practice at two," he told me. I nodded and we left the restaurant.

"Yeah, I'm going to go home and try to get some of my homework done. I have a lot of Math homework to do," I said. He groaned, buckling his seat belt.

"Damn, I forgot about that," he said, backing out of the parking space.

"I've started it, it's not too hard," I reassured him. He gave me a sideways look.

"Yeah, but you're actually good at Math. I suck at it," he said, pouting. I almost laughed at his face but I thought that'd only make him feel worse.

"Don't pout, Simon. It'll be fine," I told him. He sighed and pulled into his driveway, turning the car off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Si," I told him.

"I'll be there at 4:50, Fray, so be ready," he said as I got into my car. I nodded and shut the door.

I drove away, still wondering why Simon was so mad about tonight.

* * *

I had done homework for two hours before I decided it was time to get ready for Jace's.

I grabbed the one bag I had and stuffed my script in it. Walking downstairs, the house was quite. Luke and my mother had gone out to dinner earlier for an "important" meeting with some clients of Luke's. They probably wouldn't be back until later.

I grabbed my keys from the side table by the door and made sure to lock the front door behind me as I made my way to my car. The sky started to drizzle rain an hour ago, so the it was dark and cloudy outside.

I opened my car door and got in before the chilly air could get me. I was hoping that since it was spring it'd get a little warmer, but today was no such luck.

It took me a couple of minutes to drive to the address Jace gave me. When I got there, I stepped out of my car and examined the house. It was big with white bricks and a dark roof. There were flowers lining the house, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had someone that came out and took care of them.

Looking at his house, Jace obviously had money.

I walked up the stone pathway to his house and hesitantly rang the doorbell. I had never seen Jace's house before, nor have I met his family.

I heard footsteps coming towards the door and I took a step back. The door swung open and Jace stood there wearing jeans and a plain black shirt.

"Hi," I mumbled, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Hey," he said, stepping aside to let me in. The inside of his house was just as pretty as the outside. I clutched my bag as I looked around. His house looked like very elegant people lived here. It was beautiful, but I could never see myself living in it. It was too . . . nice. It wasn't "homey" enough, almost cold like.

"Are your parents home?" I asked him, looking around the quiet, empty house.

"No, they're never home," he told me, leading me up the wooden staircase.

"Oh," I replied stupidly. The way he said it didn't sound sorrowful, just like it was a fact, but it still sounded sad to me.

I followed him down the hallway as we passed closed door after closed door. He finally stopped at the end of the hall and pushed a door open.

"My room."

Inside was not what I expected to find in a teenage boy's bedroom.

The whole room was white: the walls, the carpet, the dresser, even the sheets on the bed. It was like being in a hospital. I wanted to take one of my mom's paintbrushes and just splash paint everywhere.

"It's . . . white," I said. He chuckled and sat down on his desk.

"So it is," he replied, looking at me. I stood there awkwardly in the doorway before walking over to a chair he had in the corner of his room.

"So what do you want to go over?" I asked him, pulling my script out. I flipped through the pages and looked for some of the main scenes that had us two in them.

Jace opened a desk drawer and pulled out his script. "Well, I was thinking we could go over the scene where Lilah and Will first meet. Is that okay with you?"

I nodded and flipped my script to that page. I dropped my bag next to the chair and stood up. Jace closed the door and came over to me.

We went over lines for an hour and got to a scene towards the middle of the play where Lilah and Will are both working late.

"'Hey, Lilah, can you help me with these boxes?'" Jace asked me. This is where I'd be sitting at my desk getting work done for Mr. Miller.

"'Um . . . okay'" I responded. Then I'd get up and help Jace move his things to a different part of the stage. Jace wiped his hands on his jeans and smiled.

"'Thanks. You know, you've been working here for a month now and we haven't really even gotten to know each other,'" he said, stepping closer to me.

"'Well, we don't really get along, or haven't you noticed?'" I said back to him. Jace shrugged his shoulders.

"'I thought we were getting along just fine.'" I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"'Oh yeah, we're obviously friends,'" I said sarcastically. Jace cocked his head and stared down at me.

"'We're not friends?'" he asked, feigning hurt. He put his hand on his heart as if it pained him to hear me say that.

"'No, we get on each other's nerves. We have ever since we've met,'" I told him.

"'So what you're saying is," Jace said, taking another step closer to me, "you don't like me?'" I paused for a moment, looking down. I started to play with my fingers.

"'I don't hate you, but you haven't really given me a reason to like you,'" I replied. Jace was standing so close to me that I felt the need to take a step back, but I knew that wasn't part of the script, so my feet stayed planted on the floor.

"'Would you like me too?'" he asked me. Jace started to lean down towards me. His face was so close to mine and I stopped breathing.

I found myself stepping back.

Jace stopped coming towards me and instead stood up straight.

"Is everything okay . . .?" he asked, trailing off. I nodded and stuffed my script in my bag. Jace stared at me in confusion. What I was supposed to do was let him kiss me, but instead I grabbed my bag and started to head towards the door.

"Yeah, I just realized I have to go," I said awkwardly, opening Jace's bedroom door. "My parents are expecting me home," I lied.

Jace was still staring at me as I walked out of his room. He followed me down the hallway and stairs.

"Are you sure? We could practice some more-"

"No, I have to go," I cut him off, flinging the door open. I knew I probably looked ridiculous rushing out of Jace's house, not to mention rude, but I found the need to get out of there. Jace stopped on his porch and watched as I got into my car and backed out of his driveway. I waved quickly and started to drive off. I looked in the rearview mirror to see Jace lift a hand in goodbye before shaking his head and going back inside.

I sighed and turned the radio on, my thoughts going everywhere. Now that I was away from Jace's house, I felt like I overreacted. It was just part of the script, no big deal, but I made it one, and I felt a little embarrassed. I debated over whether or not I should call Jace and apologize, but I'd probably make even more of a fool out of myself.

I used one hand to rub my head, a headache coming on. I switched the radio off and drove the rest of the way home in silence.

* * *

My parents came home later that night.

I was up in my room when Luke called up to me saying he and my mother needed to talk to me. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where they were sitting at the table.

"What's up?" I asked cautiously. Luke's face was blank but my mother looked a little worried. I sat down in the chair across from them and looked from Luke to my mother.

"We have some news Clary, and I'm not sure how you'll take it," Luke said. I looked at my mother, but her face really didn't give anything away. I started to get nervous.

"What is it?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two. "Is everything okay?" Jocelyn opened her mouth to say something before shutting it again.

"Clary we're moving."

_So it's longer than the others. Hopefully you liked it. I'll try starting the next chapter in a couple of days. I'm just glad I finished this chapter. No matter how long it takes me to update, I always will finish. Thanks for reading~_


	13. Chapter 13

I stared at the two people in front of me, not comprehending what they were saying. My mother's face was even more worried now, and Luke looked like he was anticipating a storm. I looked at them, open mouthed, eyes wide, waiting for them to explain what they meant by "Clary we're moving."

"Could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right," I said. Jocelyn and Luke exchanged a look.

"No, Clary, you did," my mother said, looking at me sympathetically. I narrowed my eyes at them.

"This better be a joke. We can't move! Please tell me we are just moving houses," I said hopefully. My mother's face got worse, and I knew that we were moving more than just houses.

"I got a promotion a few weeks ago, Clary. The new job is in California. We didn't want to tell you until we knew it was official. And well . . . last night, at the meeting, it was," Luke said, his tone apologetic.

"But what about Simon? And Isabelle? And my school? I can't just leave! I have to finish this year, and I have the school play," I told them. I was desperate to find a reason, any reason, to stay. My mother reached over to put her hand on my shoulder. I shook it off and a hurt look spread across her face.

"Clary, you can still be in the play. You'll be able to finish out this year of school, and there are ways to keep touch with your friends. We can always come back and visit," Jocelyn reassured me. I still wasn't convinced that this was a good idea. I couldn't just move to a new school in a new city where I didn't know anyone. It's hard enough fitting in with the few friends I have.

I sat there, not saying a word. I had nothing left to say. Obviously they wouldn't be changing their minds. What would Simon say when I told him? He was my best friend. We had been friends since we were both in diapers. I couldn't just leave him behind. Or Isabelle. She was also my best friend, and who else would she talk about Simon with? And I was just getting to know Maia.

"Look, I know this is hard for you, Clary, a new state and all, but you'll fit in just fine. I know it. I'm sure you'll love it once you get used to it," Luke told me. But no matter what he said, I still felt like bursting into tears.

"When are we leaving?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

"We're thinking about this summer. We are looking for a house close to Luke's job," Jocelyn said. The hurt look went away and was replaced with worry. I sighed and stood up.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," I told them, starting to head back to my room.

"Clary, wait, we're not done talking," Luke said behind me. I ignored him and kept walking. I couldn't talk about it anymore without crying, and that was something I was planning on not doing.

I walked out the door instead, ignoring my car, and just headed down the street. I wasn't going to move. They could move without me. I was almost eighteen! I could stay with Simon and his family until then. They'd let me. I could visit Luke and my mother every once and a while. Then when I'm done with high school I'll move out there with them.

I started to calm down at the thought of this. It was going to be okay.

Right?

But I knew that wasn't possible. I was just getting my hopes up. My mother would never let me stay here. She'd want me to be with Luke and her. I sighed, picking up my pace. The further I got away from my house, the better. I was starting to wonder if taking my car would have been a better choice, but the fresh air helped clear my head.

I kicked a rock that was in my path, hoping it would let out a little bit of my anger. It didn't. I sighed and realized I had walked to the park a few blocks away from my house. I sat down on a bench that rested outside of it. It was dark out, and there was a park light next to me that kept flickering. I was waiting for it to burn out, but it never did. It kept going, every once and a while looking like it was going to flick off and stay off until it was replaced by a brand new bulb.

I felt a little like that light, as weird as it was. It was dying, but it was still staying strong. Now my situation wasn't as drastic as dying, but maybe even I could stay strong. This was a big step for Luke. I should have been more excited for him instead of running out of the room like a little girl. I stood up and decided it was time for me to walk back home.

One minute I felt like it was the end of the world, the next I was realizing how childish I was.

Man I had problems. That or major mood swings.

It was completely dark out except for a couple of street lamps. The night was cool, and I started to wish I brought a jacket. At least it was spring and not winter. My house was a couple of blocks away when it started to sprinkle. I looked up at the sky in disgust.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, groaning. The rain picked up, and I felt like cursing the world. I picked up my pace, the rain beating down on me. What are the chances? I must be the unluckiest person alive.

Ten minutes later, and soaking wet, I made it to my house. The lights were still on, and I knew Luke and Jocelyn were waiting up for me. I stepped through the door and looked around. There was sound coming from the living room, and I walked in to see them watching something on T.V.

"Hey," I greeted them. They turned to look at me. Jocelyn's face was still worried, and Luke looked concern. I walked over to the chair as Luke muted the T.V.

"So, about earlier . . ." I trailed off, looking down at my shoes. I wanted to get out of these wet clothes, but I'd rather get this over with first.

Luke held his hand up, a small smile on his face.

"We understand how you feel, Clary. It's hard to move away from everything you know. But you have to remember that you're not in it alone. Your mother and I are going through the same thing." Jocelyn stood up and walked over to me. She sat down on the arm of my chair and wrapped her arms around me, ignoring my soppy clothes.

"He's right, honey. We're here for you. And you'll still be able to keep in contact with your friends. We'll come back and visit, too. I promise this won't be the last you'll see of this place," she told me. I looked up at her and sighed.

"Okay," I told them, "I'll go with you guys." Jocelyn smiled and hugged me tighter. I smiled back at her as best as I could.

"I'm going to go change now," I told them, standing up. Jocelyn's arms fell back to her side as her and Luke watched me make my way towards the stairs.

"Oh, and congratulations on the promotion," I said to Luke over my shoulder before trudging up the stairs. I was still upset over moving, but I realized that it was hard enough for them as it is without me whining to them. The idea of staying with Simon still stuck with me, though. I needed to hold on to something if I was going to get through this.

* * *

I woke up Monday morning wishing I had another few hours to sleep.

Thoughts of telling my friends about my move kept me awake all night. I was trying to picture their reactions; wondering if they'd be angry with me. It was finally around three in the morning that my mind let me fall asleep.

I slowly got out of bed, turning my alarm clock off, and went through my usual morning routine. By the time I was ready, I was already running late for school. I groaned and rushed down the stairs.

"Late?" my mother asked from the kitchen as I ran past her. She didn't look up from what she was frying at the stove. I sighed and rushed out the door.

* * *

I made it to my first class just as the bell rang. Mrs. Jennings glared at me as I took my seat. I looked down, not meeting her harsh stare. I heard someone snicker and looked out of the corner of my eye to find Jace staring at me. I ignored him as I pulled my book out. I wonder what Jace would say if I told him I was moving. For all I know, he'd be happy. No more Fray to get on his nerves.

I opened my book to the page number Jennings had on the board. I leaned my head on my hand and waited for class to be over. I kept looking at the clock out of the corner of my eye, but it never seemed to move. Finally, I just laid my head in my arms and anticipated the ring of the bell.

When it finally did, I shoved my book in my bag and stood up.

"Hey, Clary . . ." I looked over to see Jace standing there. He looked almost uncomfortable, which was totally unlike him. I furrowed my eyebrows and waited for him to continue. "About Saturday, I'm sorry if I did something . . ." he trailed off. I pursed my lips and looked over at the clock. I had five minutes to get to my next class.

"Oh, no," I told him, "it was nothing, really. I just lost track of time. You didn't do anything. Promise." I smiled to reassure him. He nodded slowly, still uncertain.

"If you say so," he said. "Um . . . bye then." Then he slung his backpack higher up his shoulder and took off. I did the same by grabbing my backpack and making my way out the door to study hall. I didn't want Jace thinking he did anything wrong. I still don't know why I ran out of Jace's house, making a complete idiot out of myself, but I did. And that's that.

* * *

It came time for lunch, and that was when I was planning to tell everyone. I had thought about it all throughout my last three classes. It was the perfect time, because I only had to say it once for everyone to know. Sure Simon and Isabelle would be sad and even Maia, but like my mother said, I'll still be able to talk to them. I held on to that as I made my way over to our table.

Simon was already there with Isabelle, and by the looks of it he was telling her some story she was only partly paying attention to.

"-and then we started to play our last number, and you should have _seen _the crowd - Oh, hey, Clary," Simon greeted me as I sat down. Isabelle looked over at me gratefully, causing me to laugh.

"What's up?" I asked them. Simon looked over at Isabelle and grinned.

"I was just telling Iz how my concert went," Simon told me. Isabelle picked up her drink to take a sip.

"Mmm, yeah, he was," Isabelle said over her drink. The look on her face made me laugh again. I had obviously saved her from a painfully boring story. At least she didn't have to go to it.

"Where's Maia?" I asked them, noticing her empty seat.

"Right here," Maia said, coming up from behind me. "I had to talk to the art teacher about our next project," she explained. She sat down in her spot and pulled a brown paper bag out of her backpack.

I looked at my three best friends and then down at my hands. I knew it was time to tell them. It was now or never.

"Guys . . . I have something really important to tell you."

_Okay, so that took longer than I thought to finish._

_How do you think they're going to take it?_

_Will Clary find a way out of it?_

_Review._


	14. Chapter 14

Silence.

That's what I was rewarded with.

And confused faces.

I waited for one of them to speak. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them did.

"Moving . . . as in not going to be living here anymore?" Simon said slowly, trying to process the thought. I nodded my head. He looked down at his hands in his lap. I glanced at Isabelle, and her facial expression scared me.

She was angry.

Isabelle . . ." I trailed off.

"Moving. You're moving. Just like that. But you're almost eighteen! Can't your parents just let you stay here? Why do you have to move with them?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. If only I could just stay here. I sighed.

"I thought about staying, but my mother would be upset if I didn't come. And Luke just got a promotion, I don't want to spoil anything," I replied. Isabelle shook her head and leaned her head on her hand.

"Whatever," she mumbled. I pursed my lips and started to play with my hands.

"But I was just getting to know you," Maia said quietly. I looked over at the girl. Her hair was pulled back into braids and her eyes looked sad and disappointed.

"Guys, it's not like we'll never talk again, okay? We will, I promise. And I'll come to visit a lot. Besides, I'm not leaving until summer, so we still have a while," I reassured them, just as my parents had after they told me.

So Simon was confused, Isabelle was angry, and Maia was disappointed.

Great.

"I'm sorry guys. If I had a choice, I'd stay, but I don't." They were all silent again, and I pulled out my lunch and started awkwardly pulling the crust off my sandwich.

"But who's going to come to see my band play? You're our biggest fan . . ." Simon said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. I wanted to go over and hug him, but I was afraid of getting too close to Isabelle. She still looked mad. I couldn't take the silence from them anymore. I hated doing this to them, but there was no choice.

"Anyway, let's just forget about it for now," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. They looked hesitant, but finally Simon continued his story with Isabelle. I sighed again and slumped in my seat. Well, the hardest part was over.

At least, that's what I thought.

* * *

The play was going along well, and by the end of the week, we were even closer to perfection. With the date of the performance looming around the corner, we were working harder and harder than we ever had before.

"Let's do that scene again, places everyone!" Mr. Hacker shouted. I watched as everyone got into their places and began their lines. Sitting back, I waited for my scene to come on.

I ended up zoning out the people on the stage and trying to ignore the thoughts of moving that constantly rammed their way into my brain.

"It's all coming together, pretty soon it'll be show time," Jace said, as he sat down in the seat next to me. I looked over at him before nodding and focusing back on the stage.

"It is," I agreed. Jace leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. We sat in silence for a while, just watching the scene play out on stage.

"Are you ready?" he asked me. I glanced at him again to see him watching me. His golden eyes were staring into mine, and I felt the need to look away, but I didn't. Instead I answered him.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I sighed, feeling like I was talking about more than just the play. Jace looked away and was silent for a moment. I continued to watch him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"I heard you were moving," he said quietly, still not looking at me. I nodded even though he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, after the school year is over," I told him. I was still trying to block out the idea of leaving, but I just couldn't.

"Oh" was all he said, finally looking at me again.

I stared at Jace Wayland, trying to think back to the time when I didn't even know him; didn't hate him or anything. And now, I felt like I couldn't hate him. This was strange, because I never thought I'd be able to feel anything towards Jace that wasn't hatred. Then I tried to think back to the moment when I had stopped hating him. And that's when I realized that maybe I had never dislike him in the first place. Maybe it was just me not really knowing _him, _just what everyone else said he was. Or maybe it was the little hint of sadness in his eyes that made me forget about ever not liking him.

I leaned back and studied him. Maybe Jace wasn't so bad after all.

"What are you going to do?" he asked me. I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good answer that would explain my situation; that would make it seem okay. I thought and thought, but no matter what my mind came up with, none of it was good enough. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know what was going to happen. The future was blurry. Maybe I knew before, but now . . . I just wasn't sure.

Jace must have read all that in my eyes, because he sighed and smiled, actually smiled.

"It'll be okay," he said.

I smiled back, hoping that he was right.

* * *

The next couple of days were stressful, but I managed to get through them in one piece. Keeping up with the play and school was hard, and then moving just added to it. My mother and Luke had already started packing and storing things they would have to move later in a storage box they had rented. Seeing all the boxes lined against the walls and all the empty spaces where pictures and other household objects had once occupied made moving seem all the more real.

"Clary, can you help me with this?" my mother said, coming into the hallway with two boxes stacked in her arms. I rushed over and grabbed the top one. "I need to load them in the car."

I followed her out to the drive way where she tucked the boxes away in the trunk of her car. I leaned against the car and watched her.

"Are you taking those to storage?" I asked her. She nodded and closed the trunk door. Then she turned to me and smiled.

"Pretty soon everything will be packed and we'll be all good to go," she said. I looked down at my shoes. Jocelyn sighed and laid her palm on my cheek. "I know you don't want to go, Honey, but you'll love it, I'm sure." I faked a smile.

"I know. I just need to get used to the idea," I replied. "I'm sure it'll be great once we're there."

"That's the spirit!" she said, pulling me into a hug. "I love you, Sweetie."

"I love you, too, Mom," I replied, hugging her back. She let go and started up the walk. I turned to follower her when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was a text from Jace.

_Meet me at the park by your house in ten?_

I clicked "reply" and texted a simple _ok _before going back into the house.

* * *

Ten minutes later I was pulling into the park parking lot. Since it was a Thursday night, no one else was here. Except for two other cars, one I recognized as Jace's, I was alone.

It was just starting to get dark; the sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the playground set. I saw Jace laying on the bench I had sat on not to long ago. He sat up when he saw me coming.

"Hey," he said when I was in hearing distance of him.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting down next to him. His hair looked even more gold in the setting sun.

"I needed to tell you something," he said, not looking at me. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"What is it, Jace?" I asked. I folded my hands in my lap and watched him try to find the right words to say to me.

"I just-" he cut off, taking a breath before blowing it out in a sigh. "I need to tell you something and I know that if I don't tell you now, I probably never will." I nodded slowly, confused because I couldn't think of anything he'd have to tell me that would be so important to him.

"Why do you hate me, Clary?" he asked me suddenly. I opened my mouth before closing it.

"I never said I hated you," I told him. He looked at me skeptically.

"Really, because it sure seems that way," he replied. He didn't look angry at me, just . . . sad.

"Jace, I don't hate you. I mean . . . I did, I think, but now . . ." I trailed off. He looked at me, confused. "I guess I just didn't know you before. And maybe I don't really know you all that well now, but I've seen how you act when you're not around your friends. You're different - better." Jace looked almost relieved at what I just told him. He smiled a little.

"Is that why you asked me here?" I asked, even though I had a feeling it wasn't. He ran a hand through his hair.

"No," he replied. I watched as he once again tried to find the right words.

"What is it, Jace?" I asked quietly. He looked at me, and his eyes showed his many different emotions: sadness, confusion, doubt, and then something else I couldn't place.

"Clary, I love you," he said. "I have for a while, I just . . . I thought you hated me, so I tried to deny it but . . . I do, Clary. And now you're leaving, and I knew that if I didn't tell you soon, I'd never be able to."

I looked at him, speechless. Never once would I have ever thought that Jace Wayland would like _me. _He watched me, waiting for me to say something, but I didn't know what to say. He took my silence as rejection and looked down in disappointment.

"Well, at least you know," he said, standing up.

"Jace-" I started before he cut me off.

"It's okay, Clary. I knew you wouldn't feel the same way. I just had to try, you know?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets and started to walk away. I stood up and followed behind him.

"Jace, listen to me," I said, grabbing his arm. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "I just . . ." I still didn't know what to say to him. "I'm moving, and there's nothing I can do about it. You know that, I know that. So maybe . . . starting this," I said gesturing between us, "isn't such a good idea." I whispered the last part, but he could hear me clearly. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"I know. Like I said, it's okay, you're leaving, I get it. And there's nothing I can do to stop you," he said before continuing to walk back to his car. I didn't follow him this time. I watched as he got into his car and drove off.

I looked over at the sun still setting behind the trees. I don't know how long I stood there for, but by the time I made it back to my car, it was dark.

I drove home in silence, not bothering with the radio. It started to sprinkle before the rain came down harder. I turned on my windshield wipers and watched as the drops they didn't hit slither down the window. The streets were deserted and quiet. I just listened to the rain pound on my car. It was almost relaxing. I pulled up to a red light and sat back.

I wasn't sure how to feel about what Jace told me. If I wasn't moving, would something actually happen between Jace and me? Or would I still feel the way I do know - unsure. I couldn't see a relationship between Jace and I actually happening. Maybe, if I wasn't moving, but I am. And like he said, there's nothing that can be done to stop me. Rain drops continued to slide down my window like diamonds.

I watched as they made their path before disappearing out of sight.

_I'll probably be finishing this story in a couple of chapters. I want to thank the 400 hundred some that read the last chapter and especially thank the few that reviewed. Reviews give me hope, so thank you. :)_

_So, this chapter moved things along. I know it was going slow, and I'm sorry it has taken me a while to update. Thanks to all those who are sticking with me. I owe you guys. :)_

_I was trying to find a way to not make the part where Jace tells her he likes her awkward, so hopefully I succeeded or that you at least liked it. Thanks for reading!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Those who like Simon will like this chapter. He's in it all._

Jace seemed to ignore me the week that followed his confession. The only time we really spoke was when we were in a scene together at play practice, and those were just words put into our mouths. It seemed that things were back the way they were before I had gotten to know him more.

Except that I knew he loved me.

I tried to push my worries about Jace away. I knew I shouldn't feel bad about telling him it wouldn't work, because it was the truth, but I still felt that little bit of guilt whenever I looked at him. He had told me he loved me, and I just rejected him, something he probably wasn't used to.

Every time I tried to start a conversation with him, he'd turn away and pretend I never spoke. It was like I was invisible to him. I wanted him to forget his feelings for me. I still held on to the fact that it was _Jace _I was talking about. Jace - a guy who had a new girl on his arm every week.

But a week went by and I still occasionally glanced his way to find him staring at me. I'd catch that little hint of something in his eye that I had the same night at the park, but this time I knew what it was, before it disappeared and he'd turn away.

"Clary, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

I looked at Simon. He was holding a book in his hand and staring at me with an annoyed look on his face.

"I'm sorry. What we're you saying?" I asked, momentarily forgetting about Jace and focusing on Simon.

"I was asking you if I could borrow this. It looks pretty cool," he said, glancing at the book in his hand. It was an old anime comic that Luke had given me for my tenth birthday. That was back when Simon and I had loved anime. Now it was more Simon's thing.

"You can keep it," I told him. His eyes lit up and he plopped down on my bed, the book already open in his lap.

"Hey, Simon, can I ask you something?" I played with the hem of my sweater as I waited for his reply.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked, not looking up from his comic.

"Promise me you won't get mad." He looked up now and stared at me skeptically.

"Okay . . ." he trailed off. I sucked in a deep breath before letting it out.

"It's about Jace," I started. Anger flashed in Simon's eyes at the name, and he opened his mouth to say something. I glared at him, and he closed it. "He said . . . something to me, and I don't know what to do about it."

"What is it, Fray?" he asked, now putting the book down on my nightstand.

I was worried about telling Simon about Jace's confession. But if he found out that I didn't tell him, he'd be pissed.

"Jace told me . . . that he loved me. But before you say anything," I said, cutting off whatever he was about to blurt out, "I didn't tell him that I loved him back."

Simon seemed to relax a little at that, but his expression was still incredulous.

"Jace . . . told you he loved you. Jace did," Simon repeated. I nodded, afraid to say anything. "You have got to be kidding me."

Simon stood up and peered down at me.

"_Jace Wayland _said he loved you." I sighed and also stood up.

"Yes, Simon, _Jace _said he loved me," I reverted. Simon shook his head and pursed his lips, staring icily out my bedroom window.

"Great," he mumbled. "Just great." I crossed my arms and scowled at him.

"Simon, I told you I didn't say it back. So why are you so angry?" I asked, remembering that I made him promise he wouldn't get mad.

"Because it's _Jace. _He probably doesn't even mean it. When does he ever tell someone he loves them and means it? I bet he just wants to use you. You're his newest prize," Simon said, sneering down at me. I tried to remember that his anger wasn't directed at me, but at Jace instead, but it was hard not to get angry at him.

"I am _not _his _prize. _I told you I didn't say it back, Simon! What is your problem?" Simon shook his head as if I didn't get something. "What? Why are you shaking your head?"

"You just don't know, do you?" I looked at him confused. His voice had gone so soft that I could hardly hear what he was saying.

"Know what?" I asked, sitting back down in the chair. Simon rubbed his forehead and laughed without humor.

"Everyone falls for Jace eventually, Clary. And I . . ." he stopped and walked over to my window.

"You what?" I questioned. I watched as he pulled his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt.

"You're my best friend, Clary, right?" I nodded, still confused.

"Of course, Simon, but what does that have to do with anything?" Simon came over to me kneeled down beside me. I stared at him, starting to get worried. His eyes were leveled with mine, and they had a sad look in them.

"You just don't understand," he whispered.

"Then why don't you explain?" I told him. He grabbed my hands. I glanced down at his hands in mine, perplexed.

"Clary . . . I was mad because . . . well, the thing is . . . I like you," he told me. I nodded confused.

"I like you too, Simon, we're friends," I told him. He shook his head, looking disappointed and embarrassed.

"No . . . I _like _you, Clary. I have for a long time," he admitted. I stared at him for a moment, speechless. What was happening? First Jace, now Simon? Both a shock. Simon has been my friend for years. _My best friend._ And even if I did like him like that, the same thing applies to him as it did to Jace. I'm moving. And that's that.

"Simon . . ." I trailed off, unsure what to say.

"I know, Clary. You're just my friend. I understand, and that's okay. I just . . . I had to tell you. Just so you know." I felt like I was back in the park with Jace. Except this time it was Simon. My friend. Not some guy I used to hate.

"You know I'm moving," I told him. He nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I know, I know. But it feels good saying it. I've been holding that in for years, and now you know. And I know it won't work out between us, I accepted that a long time ago," he stated. I shook my head and sighed.

I just didn't get it. All these years Simon had his chance, and he waits for the moment when I'm leaving. He couldn't have told me before I associated him as _just_ a friend. And even if I wasn't leaving, it was Simon. My _friend._

"I should probably go," Simon said, glancing at his watch. My mom will want me home for dinner."

I nodded and he smiled at me.

"Just forget about it, Clary. You're my best friend. I'll get over it," he told me. He walked away, not mad, but not exactly ecstatic either. At least his confession ended differently than Jace's. Jace walked away angry, Simon, content.

I listened as the front door opened and closed. And then Simon was gone.

I sighed. This _would_ be just my luck. Two guys telling me they like me when that summer, I'd be moving.

One used to be my enemy, and one was my best friend.

I didn't know how everything was going to work out in the end, or if it ever would, but I knew I'd accept it either way. I had to. How else would I ever move on?

* * *

_I was debating whether or not to add what'll be in the next chapter to this one, but then I decided it'd be better to have its own. Yes, the play will be in the next one. I'm thinking maybe one or two more chapters and then an epilogue. I'll just have to see._

_Anyway, thanks for reading. :D_


	16. Chapter 16

I've heard the saying "People change" many times in my life, but I never actually believed it. I think that's just what everyone wants to hear - that people changed along with life, but I'd always thought that that's just what they want you to think. When in reality, nothing has changed at all. I didn't think people changed, not really. They might have adjustments in their life, but deep down, they're still the same person. Whether they want to be or not.

That was my opinion.

And then I came up with the conclusion that, no, people didn't change. They were just finally showing who they really are. I think that in the first few stages of our lives, we invent this person that we decide we want to be (whether it's to protect ourselves from something, or because we just don't know who we are yet), but then, as we grow older, we become who we truly were to begin with.

It's complicated, but when I just deeply think about it, I realize how true it is.

Take Jace for example: all these years I've known him as an asshole; a player; a jerk who just didn't care about anyone else. But now, I think it was all just some kind of act he put on to protect himself from those around him. When I went to his house, I saw how cold it was; how uninviting. Kind of like how I thought he used to be. Maybe it was just what he was used to, but I don't believe it's who he is. I think, finally, Jace is showing who he was to begin with.

That night at the park, he wasn't the egotistical person that I once thought he was. He was just _Jace. _And maybe I still didn't know who he really was, but I did know that I had been wrong about him.

I was in the girl's dressing room, staring at myself in the mirror. My hair was up for the first scene, and I was wearing a simple red dress and jacket. Everyone was busy around me, getting ready for the play that would start in just an hour. The crew were getting together the last of the props, and the light crew were out there testing all the stage and spot lights.

I was beginning to get nervous, which was new for me. I brushed a few strands of hair out of my face with shaky hands.

"Calm down, take deep breaths," I mumbled to myself. I sighed and smiled at the mirror, but the smile was weak and ended up looking more like a grimace.

"Nervous?" a voice said next to me. I looked over to see Maia standing there. I hadn't even seen her come over. Her hair was in braids and she was also wearing a light blue dress.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a shaky laugh. She smiled at me and lightly punched my shoulder in encouragement.

"You'll do great, Clary, really. There's nothing to be worried about," she assured me.

"I know, it's just, with the move coming, this will be my last play at this school, and I just want it to be perfect," I told her honestly.

"It'll be great, I promise. You're the lead, so how bad could it be?" I smiled for real this time. Maia was right, I shouldn't be worrying. Sure, maybe the play wouldn't be perfect, but why would I want to spend my last one a nervous wreck?

"Thanks, Maia," I told her. "I feel better." She grinned and walked back over to her station.

I touched up my eyeliner and added more blush to my face before deciding I was good to go. I had to ask Mr. Hacker a question about my movements in the fourth scene, so I set out to find him. I passed by the guy's dressing room, where I could hear muffled voices on the other side of the door. I wondered if Jace was in there. I hadn't talked to him since the night at the park, and I was starting to worry that he'd go back to being the asshole he was before I'd gotten to know him.

I was walking down the hallway to Mr. Hacker's room, running my hand along the faded, blue lockers, when I saw someone leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out who it was, but their head was down. The lights were off, the only source coming from the room I came out of.

The figure was slumped over on the locker, but he raised his head when he heard me coming.

I walked up to Jace, wondering what he was doing by himself in the hallway. He stood up taller as I reached him, not saying a word.

"Hey," I said uncertainly. He didn't reply, just nodded his head in a greeting.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked, looking down the hallway towards Mr. Hacker's room.

"Just waiting. I finished getting ready," he said. I looked down at his white, button-up dress shirt and black pants. He was wearing a blue tie, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. His hair was messy, from running his hands through it, I assumed.

"What's your reason?" he asked me. I looked again towards Mr. Hacker's room. The lights were off. He must be back stage.

"I just had to ask Hacker something," I responded. We stood in silence a moment longer, neither of us knowing what to say to the other.

"Well, good luck," I told him, clearing my throat.

"You, too," he replied politely. I nodded and started to back down the hallway. Jace lowered his head again, his eyes closed. I sighed before turning around and going back the way I came.

If you would have asked me in the beginning of year if I thought I'd ever feel bad about hurting Jace Wayland, I would have laughed. Not in a million years, would have been my response. After being the jerk he was to me, he didn't deserve my sympathy.

But now, walking back down the dark hallway, I knew my answer would be different. I did feel bad; I felt terrible. Which was weird, because people get rejected every day, but there was just something about it that made me feel like a horrible person.

I didn't feel like going on a search for Mr. Hacker, so I just went back to the dressing room and waited for them to tell us it was time.

* * *

I peeked through the curtain and into the auditorium. People were finding their seats and chatting with friends of theirs. It looked like it was going to be pretty crowded, which was good.

I thought back to all the practices we had. I knew we were ready; it was just acting with Jace that had me worried. For all I knew, he hated me now. I didn't like the thought of him hating me. I knew that if he did, I shouldn't be disappointed or distressed. All these years I had thought he hated me, and it never bothered me before.

Maybe that was because now I had gotten to see the real Jace, and I had liked him, maybe even felt like he was sort of my friend. I had to kiss Jace in the second to last scene. I was nervous about that too, now knowing his feelings for me. I hadn't kissed him yet. We just never practiced it. After my little show in his room, he had always found a reason not to practice it. I tried to push the worry to the back of my mind. It was something I had no control over, so I just had to go with it.

I looked out the curtain again and scanned the crowd looking for my parents or friends. I picked out Simon and Isabelle sitting in the front row, talking to each other. Isabelle was smiling at whatever Simon was animatedly telling her. She still had a crush on him, and I was just hoping that someday he'd realize that and return her feelings.

I smiled at the picture of Isabelle and Simon dating. They'd make the perfect couple; I just had to wait for them both to realize it.

Would they figure it out before I left? Or would it have to be something I learned over the phone, miles away from them. I swallowed back the lump in my throat. Now was not the time to start crying. I took a deep breath and let the curtain fall back into place.

"Get ready, everyone!" Mr. Hacker shouted. He was running around, checking things off with his clipboard. He wanted this to be just as perfect as I did. Everyone here wanted it to go perfectly.

"We start in just ten minutes, be ready!" A few people left the stage to go get the others who were waiting backstage. I just stood there on the side of the stage, waiting for the curtain to open and reveal us all.

The lights went down in the auditorium, and I heard the voices die down instantly, leaving only the occasional whisper. A few background people and the ticket seller were the only ones left on stage. Mr. Hacker was off to the side, out of view, ready to make sure everything went as it should.

The curtain started to open, and I took a deep breath.

Show time.

* * *

So far, the play wasn't bad at all. Everyone knew their lines, and practicing was really paying off.

I was backstage again after my part where I meet Jace for the first time. I watched as he said his lines with James, who got the role of the Uncle.

"'All I'm saying is that you better keep to your work. I don't want to see anything distracting you,'" James said to Jace. Jace nodded, his head bent. "'Good, now do your job and finish that paperwork. It needs to be done by tomorrow or our clients won't be happy.'" Jace nodded again and walked off the stage. He waited backstage like I was, except we were on opposite sides. His eyes made contact with mine, and he nodded at me. I gave him a little smile, telling him he did a good job.

James said his last line, as if he was talking to himself, before following Jace. The curtain closed, ending the scene.

Mr. Hacker gave a little clap of his hands while the stage crew switched out the props of the old scene for the ones of the new. I looked back over towards Jace to find him gone. I sighed and leaned against the wall.

Everything was going to be okay. The play would end, and then I'd go to whatever after-party we'd have. Then I would finish the school year out. Moving time would come, and I'd go along with it, for my parent's sake.

Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

I was changing into my costume for the next scene. There were only a couple scenes left, and we hadn't messed up yet.

I walked out of the dressing room and made my way back to the stage. All I had to do was get through these last scenes, and everything would be perfect. But these were the scenes that were going to be the hardest yet. I took a deep breath, waiting for the curtain to open again. This was the part where Lilah went back to her own town.

I made it onto stage just as the stage manager was calling out a two minute warning. I fixed my dress, and made sure my hair was going to stay back in its clip.

Jace came up next to me, and I looked up at him. He was staring off into space, his face expressionless.

"Are you ready, Fray?" he asked me. I didn't know if he was talking about being ready for the last few scenes, or if what he said meant more than that. Ready for what? Then end of the play, the move, leaving everything I knew behind? I knew I was thinking too much into it.

I nodded anyway, trying to reassure myself that I was ready for anything. The curtains opened, and I looked at Jace one last time before walking out onto stage. As I made it to the middle, I heard Jace call out behind me.

"'Lilah, wait!'"

I turned around. His expression was different now. It was filled with desperation and hope.

"'What is it, Will? You know I can't miss my train. I have to go,'" I said, the words coming out of me naturally. Jace took a step closer to me, his eyes boring into mine.

"'Lilah, you can't leave, not yet,'" he told me, reaching out but not touching me. I swallowed before saying my line.

"'But my work here is done, it's time for me to go back to where I belong,'" I said, a hint of sadness lining my words. I was hardly breathing as I stared at Jace. His face was so sad, and I knew he was just acting, but it felt so real.

"'But you and I, we're finally getting to know each other. You can't leave now,'" he begged. I was brought back to the day he first said these words, when his eyes never left mine during tryouts.

"'Will, I must go back. My family, they're waiting for me. Now that summer's over, I have to go back to school,'" I replied, taking a small step back. Jace filled in the distance I had made, and I swallowed again, praying I didn't mess this up.

"'Please, Lilah, you have to stay. You can come to school here, where we will see each other,'" Jace begged, his eyes pleading me to stay. I tried to stay in character, but I couldn't help but think he was actually begging me to stay; to not move away from him and this school.

"'I don't have the money for schooling in New York,'" I said sadly, lowering my eyes to the floor. Jace reached out and placed his hand on my face, forcing me to look at him.

"'Lilah . . . I love you. I see that now. I love you, and I need you,'" he told me, filling any space that was between us. I tried not to choke on the lump in my throat, and instead focused on my next line, not the look in Jace's eyes.

"'I-I love you, too, Will. But, I have to go. I can't stay,'" I responded, my voice breaking and tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. Jace placed both of his hands on my face, wiping away a tear that escaped.

"'Is there anything you can do?'" he asked me, his voice desperate. I closed my eyes as more tears escaped. I shook my head slowly and sadly. Jace sighed and placed his forehead on mine. "'Please . . . don't leave me.'"

I couldn't help myself from crying. I was just lucky that it was part of the play. I tried to pull myself together more, so I wouldn't end up ruining the entire thing.

"'I'm sorry,'" I whispered, but loud enough so my microphone picked it up. Jace took his forehead off of mine and wiped my tears away with his thumbs.

"'Then I'll find a way to come see you. I'll find a way to make it work, Lilah. I will, I promise,'" he said to me. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"'I'll miss you, Will,'" I told him, reaching my hand up to grip his arm.

"'Don't forget about me,'" he replied. I smiled desolately.

"'I could never,'" I told him. Then he leaned down, closing all distance between us, and placed his lips softly on mine. I felt a tear slide down his cheek, and I wanted to reach up and wipe it away. Jace's lips were light against mine; hardly a kiss, but it still made my stomach do a little flip. Jace pulled back, ending the kiss.

"'Goodbye, Lilah,'" he said, pulling me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head in his chest.

"'Bye, Will.'" He hugged me for a moment longer before letting go. "'I'll see you again soon. I promise.'" He nodded, and I walked back off stage where the "train" was. He stood there a moment longer, watching me go. I turned and looked back at him. His eyes were still gloomy, and I wanted to go back out there and hug him again, but I stayed where I was and waited for the scene to be over.

Jace turned and walked the other way, his head hung low. I watched him disappear somewhere back stage, and I sighed as the curtain closed. The crew ran past me to switch out the props, but I continued to stand there, knowing I needed to be backstage changing into my next costume.

"Clary, what are you doing? You have to get ready," Mr. Hacker said, pushing me towards the dressing room. I nodded and went back to change.

Maybe Lilah and I weren't as different as I thought. We were both leaving things behind that we knew we'd miss more than anything. I'd miss my house. I'd miss my school. I'd miss Simon, and Isabelle, and Maia. And I'd miss Jace.

There's no point in denying it. I'd miss Jace a lot. I had gotten to know him in the past couple of months. The real him. I'd learned his feelings for me. And maybe I didn't return them at the time, but now, I'm not even sure how I feel about him. All I know is that I will miss him.

We went through the last scene of the play, and at the end the crowd erupted into applause. I stood on the stage, for what would be the last time, and waited for my curtain call. I looked at Jace standing across the stage from me. He smiled at me, and I felt myself smile back. Then our time came, and we walked out onto the stage. He grabbed my hand as we took our bows.

It was over, and we had made it through. I smiled at the audience, forgetting for a moment that soon everything would change. I stood there, Jace's hand clasped in mine, and let the sounds of the audience drown out all thoughts in my head.

And in that moment, I found peace.

* * *

_There'll be an another chapter after this, which will hopefully be done during Christmas break. I'm still not sure if there will be an epilogue. Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner. I should be studying for finals, so you're welcome.;)_

_Thanks for reading._

_Tell me what you thought. I love every single review I get and it makes me happy._


	17. Chapter 17

It was a sunny day out, a perfect day to end the school year. I loaded up another box of my things into Luke's truck, which was parked in front of the huge mover's van that sat on our curb. Men were walking in and out of our house, loading furniture that was too big to fit into Luke's car. Pretty soon our entire house would be nothing but walls and flooring.

"Mom, do you need help loading anything else?" I asked her. She was just bringing a box of her stuff out when I felt my phone buzz. I read the text message and smiled. Jocelyn gave me knowing look and told me she had everything under control. I went over and pecked her on the cheek before getting into my car.

It was a short drive to the pizza place where we went after play practice about a month ago. I parked in one of the few empty spots and made sure my car was locked before going inside. The bell on the door dinged and right away I heard a voice shout my name.

"Over here, Clary!" I looked over to see Simon waving at me from the corner of the room. I smiled and walked over to the group of people already seated at the table. There were people from the plays over the last couple of years, my closest group of friends, and then a few people I had classes with. I greeted them all and a couple came up and hugged me.

It was greet seeing all my friends together for what would be the last time in a long time.

"How is packing?" Isabelle asked me as I took the seat next to her. I scooted my chair closer to the table and took a sip of the glass of water in front of me.

"Fine, we're almost done. The movers came early yesterday to help us pack everything up. They've been working all day.

"And you must promise me you will call me every day to tell me how things are going," she demanded. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that crossed my face.

"Really, Isabelle, everyday?" She nodded and shrugged.

"How else am I going to help you pick out your outfits for school?" I shook my head as Simon sat in the seat next to me.

"Well, I'm going to miss you, Clary," he said, lightly punching me on the shoulder. "Who's going to be our biggest fan now?" I laughed and reached over to hug him.

"I'm still your biggest fan, Si," I told him. He took off his glasses and wiped them on the edge of his shirt. When he put his glasses back on, he had a sad smile on his face.

"I know, Fray. I know."

We ate our pizza while a conversation carried on around us. I told everyone about what my new school was like and the beautiful house Luke and my mother bought. I had only seen pictures online, but from what I saw, it looked comfy and cozy.

It still made me sad when I thought of leaving everyone here. I was so happy when I heard about the "Going Away" party Isabelle set up for me. I was grateful for that last chance to say goodbye to everyone before I left. We were leaving tomorrow morning, and I still didn't feel ready.

It had been a week since the play ended. I had spent the rest of the days hanging out with Simon, Isabelle, and Maia, and when I wasn't seeing my friends, I was packing up boxes and boxes of stuff to take with me. There was still one person I hadn't said goodbye to yet, and I knew I couldn't leave until I did.

Isabelle told me she invited Jace to this, but he hadn't shown up yet. I felt myself glancing towards the door every time the bell went off, expecting to see his face with a hidden smirk on it. But each ding brought on a new wave of disappointment.

Someone brought a cake, and we dug into that after we were all done with our pizza. Isabelle kept taking pictures with her camera, saying she'd send them to me when she got them developed. When it became about nine at night, the place was almost empty except for us and a few other people still eating their dinner.

The bell rang again, and I glanced over, my heart beating faster when I saw that this time it was Jace. Alec, Isabelle's brother, followed closely behind him, looking as uncomfortable as ever. I tried not to let the relief show in my face as he made his way over to our table. Isabelle said something to Alec as Jace stood there somewhat awkwardly. I hadn't talked to him very much the past couple of days. The only time I ever saw him was in class, and he had made no attempt to talk to me there. I had convinced myself that he was over me and finally excepting that I was leaving, now wanting nothing to do with me.

I had to admit that it hurt to think about it like that. Whether Jace still had feelings for me or not, we were still friends. It made me wish I had gotten to know Jace earlier in the year, maybe then I would have seen who he really was sooner, and we'd have more time to become better friends.

Jace glanced at me and met my gaze. He gave the tinniest nod of his head towards the door, and then turned and walked out of the building. I told everyone I'd be back before standing up and walking outside myself.

I found Jace leaning against the wall, his hands stuffed down his jeans' pockets. He looked over at me as I joined him.

"So you're leaving tomorrow," he said, not as a question but as a statement; a fact. I nodded my head, not saying anything. He sighed and stood up straight, facing me.

"Look, Clary . . ." he trailed off, rubbing his hand over his face. I looked down at our shoes, only a few inches apart.

"What is it Jace?" I asked him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"When we were on stage, acting, during that last scene with you - I felt like it wasn't just acting. I felt like there was something . . . more," he told me in a rush. I nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what he was saying. I knew his feelings, but I wasn't sure if he was asking me if I felt the same way, or if he was just stating that fact.

"What do you mean?" I asked him slowly. He let out his breath in a huff and looked down at me.

"Did you feel it at all? I mean even a little bit?" he asked me, looking me straight in the eye. I looked down again and he brought his hand up to my face, forcing me to meet his gaze.

I thought back to the little feeling in my stomach as he kissed me. I could tell Jace the truth and make things more complicated, knowing I'd have to leave tomorrow; or I could lie and not have to risk leading him on.

"Jace . . ." I didn't know what to do. If I said yes, I did feel something, even if it was just a little thing that might not even mean anything, I could give him false hope that would only lead to disappointment and hurt. But what if it did mean something? What if there was the chance that we could actually be together, even if I was far away from him? I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw.

"I'm sorry, Jace . . . I didn't," I lied. Jace's face fell, and he dropped his hand, taking a step back. He lowered his gaze, no longer able to hold mine. I swallowed back the lump in my throat as he nodded.

"I thought so . . . I just - hoped," he told me. I started to awkwardly play with my hands, hoping my face didn't give away my lie.

"But does it matter?" I asked him. He looked up at me in confusion. "I'm leaving, remember? Even if I had felt something . . . I'll still be gone by tomorrow."

"Right," he said in a voice that made it seem as if it was the worst thing in the world. I was never one for long distant relationships. It was just too hard, and I didn't want to have to go through with that, not when I wasn't even sure about us.

"I'll miss you, Clary," he said after what felt like a long time. I gave him my attempt at a smile.

"I'll miss you, too, Jace. I'm glad I got to know you more. I can leave knowing I've made a new friend," I told him. I didn't miss his little cringe at the word "friend".

He opened his arms then, and I went into them, giving him one last hug. I ended up burying my face in his chest, memorizing his scent. He pulled back too soon, and I instantly felt the loss of him.

Someone walked out through the door, and we both looked over to find Alec standing there, waiting for Jace.

"Are you ready?" he asked Jace, looking relieved to leave the party inside.

"Yeah, just a sec.," Jace told him. Alec looked from Jace to me, then back to Jace before nodding his head, wiping his black hair out of his face, and turning to go to wherever they parked their car.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Jace said to me, a sad look in his eyes. I nodded, unable to say anything around the lump in my throat. I cleared it as best as I could.

"Bye, Jace," I said quietly. He looked unsure about something, but then leaned down and kissed my cheek lightly. I held on to the feeling of his lips against my cheek, even though it only lasted for a second. Then he walked past me and followed Alec to his car.

I stood there a moment, waiting until I collected myself before going back inside. Everything was how I left it. People were still eating the cake, and Simon was standing up, probably telling some joke that nobody else would understand.

I sat back down in my spot, and Isabelle looked over at me.

"Are you okay? You look . . . down," she told me. I shrugged.

"I'm fine," I said. She looked at me closely, studying me.

"Whatever you say . . . You know, you should have let me come over before this and let me do your make-up. Not that you need it or anything but it would have looked nice, and-"

I blocked her out as she rambled on about make-up and clothes. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, forgetting for a moment that I'm at my own going away party, soon to be leaving for a whole new life in a whole new city. I forgot about missing my friends, and how I'd only be able to talk to them on the phone. I forgot about Luke's new job, and how different things would really turn out to be. And I forgot about Jace, and how I had let him walk away without even a second thought.

Instead I just relaxed and let my empty mind drown out the voices around me. They could all wait for a minute or two. I needed this time to collect myself, otherwise I'd go crazy. I thought of the play, and how good it felt to be on the stage. For those few moments, I got to be an entirely different person: new name, new personality, new story.

"Clary, are you even listening to a word I am saying? I'm trying to help you out here."

I looked over at Isabelle. She was staring at me, her eyebrows raised and her hands on her hips. She looked me up and down before rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest. Isabelle sighed and crossed her legs.

"Honestly, Clary, where does your mind go to?" she questioned, reaching forward to grab her glass of water. She took a sip before placing it back on the table. "You really need to be more observant. Everything will just end up passing you by if you let it."

Then she turned to talk to the guy next to her. I slumped in my chair and closed my eyes, wishing everything around me would just freeze so I could take the time to collect all my thoughts. I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache coming on.

"Hey, Isabelle?" She looked over at me. I knew I'd disappoint her, but I really didn't feel like partying. "Is it okay if I go?" Isabelle's face dropped and her eyebrows went down in confusion.

"But . . . why? Was this place not good? You know I could have picked another one, or maybe a different time? Or what-" I shook my head and cut her off.

"No, no, it's not any of that. I'm just not in the mood to be surrounded by people. I'd rather go home, take a shower, and spend my last night in my room," I explained. Isabelle nodded in understanding and told me she'd take care of everyone. I thanked her and stood up.

I gave a quick wave to Simon and said goodbye to a few others before walking out of the restaurant. The brisk air was refreshing and helped clear my head a little. I pulled out my phone to check the time before getting into my car. I sat there for a moment and leaned my head on the wheel. I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought I had accepted everything, but all of a sudden, if feels like there's so much more I have to do before I go. I feel like things are left undone, people I still have to say things to and priorities I have to straighten out.

I turned on my car and drove quickly from the pizza place, anxious to get home and to where I hoped my problems wouldn't follow me.

* * *

I woke up the next day feeling like I hadn't slept for months. I was groggy and the morning sun stung against my closed eye lids. I turned away from the window, burying my head in my pillow hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

"Clary, come down and eat! Luke wants to hit the road at nine!" Jocelyn called up to me. I groaned and dug myself deeper into my blankets. I just wanted a few more minutes in my bed, which was the only thing in my room besides my dresser and a mirror. The movers were going to pack the rest of it up after we left.

I forced myself to get out of the safety of my bed and to face moving head on. I slowly walked down the stairs, still feeling like I was going to pass out from sleep deprivation.

"Would you like some pancakes and bacon, Clary?" my mother asked me as I trudged into the kitchen. I nodded and plopped down into a chair at the table. Jocelyn placed a plate filled with bacon and a pancake in front of me. The smell of the food made my mouth water, and I dug straight into it.

We all sat in silence as we ate our food. I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't just end in an awkward silence, so I picked up my plate and brought it over to the sink, cleaning it and sticking it in the box of dinnerware next to me.

"I'm going to grab the last box of clothes in my room," I told them before trudging back up the stairs. It felt much earlier than it actually was, and I wanted more than anything to just go back to bed and get lost in sleep.

I came home last night and fell straight into bed. I didn't feel anything anymore, just a numbness that seemed to take over my entire body.

New school, new house. A new city in a new state. New friends and new problems. It was the opposite of what I needed right now. After my conversation with Jace, which I knew would probably be the last one in a long time, I felt hardly anything. I was just done. Why did he have to do this to me? Why now? Why not before all this moving crap came up?

I leaned against my closed bedroom door, shutting my eyes and letting out a low groan. This was just my luck. A popular guy, who also loved to act, liked _me. _And if I were being honest with myself, I somewhat liked him back. But I couldn't tell him that. It would only complicate things even more. I couldn't do that to him, and I couldn't take it myself. I did the right thing lying. I know I did. And maybe one day I'll regret it, because I'll say to myself, "Why didn't you just see? What if something did happen? It could have changed everything." And then I'll reply, "But what if it didn't? What if it just ruined everything? It could have changed everything for the worse."

I guess I'll never know for sure.

I stood up straight and walked over to my desk before glancing at my phone. I had one missed call from Isabelle. I picked it up and redialed her number. It rang twice before she answered.

"Clary! So, Simon and I were wondering if we could come over before you go, just to say goodbye one last time. Would that be okay? Because if not, I mean, that's fine I guess . . . but-"

"Isabelle," I said, cutting her off, "it's fine. I'll see you in a little bit." I smiled at the thought of being able to see them again.

"Great! See you soon!" The call ended and I placed my phone back on my desk. I sighed and grabbed the box of clothes by my closet.

"Just stick it in the back next to the pictures from the living room," Luke said to me as I carried out my box. I did as he said and he smiled at me. I forced myself to smile back before heading back into the house.

I found my mother standing in the empty kitchen, her back to me.

"Mom?" I asked, getting her attention. She turned around, wiping her eyes. Her hair was falling out of its bun and she had dark bags under her eyes.

"Sweetie, hey," she said with a smile on her face, which I could see right through.

"Are you okay?" She chucked and came over to put her hands on my shoulders.

"Yes. I'm just going to miss this place. It was where you grew up; there are so many memories here. I just don't want to leave them all behind," she explained.

"We're not leaving them, mom, we're taking them with us. You must have at least a thousand photos in the car," I said, causing her to laugh. She pulled me in for a hug, rubbing my back.

"I love you, Clary." I buried my face in her shoulder, closing my eyes.

"I love you too, mom," I mumbled into her shirt. She held me close for a second longer before releasing me.

"I'm going to go see if Luke needs any more help," she told me before patting me on the back and walking outside. I sighed and a car horn honked.

Simon and Isabelle got out of Simon's beat up car and strolled through the front door after saying a quick 'hello' to my parents. Isabelle instantly pulled me into a tight hug, rocking us back and forth.

"I'm going to miss you!" she said, pulling back to let me breathe. Her eyes were watery.

"I'll miss you, too, but don't worry, there are ways to keep in touch, and Jocelyn said we can come back and visit a lot," I reassured her. She sighed and nodded, stepping back to let Simon take her place.

"I'm gonna miss you, Fray," he said quietly. I smiled up at my long time best friend, trying to stop the tears that threatened to spill over.

"Come here, Si," I said, pulling him into a hug.

"You take care of yourself okay?" he whispered into my ear. "It's a tough world out there, and you don't have me to beat everyone up." I laughed and hugged him tighter.

"Oh, Simon, how will I ever survive?" I said sarcastically. He pulled back in time for me to see a smile grace his lips. Then he was serious.

"Honestly though, be careful. And don't forget to call, otherwise I'll have to come down there and drag you back." I nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

"Okay," I replied. We stood there in the empty kitchen for a moment longer. Then Jocelyn came in and asked if I was ready to go.

This was it. It was really happening. I was moving to a new city; my friends, my home, my school, everything I knew was being left behind. I took a deep breath.

Simon and Isabelle hugged me one last time. Then they got back into the car and left, but not before making me promise to call every day.

Everything was packed up; the only things left were the few items that the movers would get after we left. Luke got in the car, my mother following after him. I looked at the house one last time before turning my back on it.

I shut the car door behind me as I crawled into the back seat. Luke backed out of the driveway, and then we were off. Luke had one hand on the wheel, and he reached out with the other to take my mother's hand. She smiled at him and then turned to look at me.

I was looking out the window, watching and memorizing the world around me. It'd be awhile before we came back, but I knew it wouldn't seem like too long. I'd come back and see Isabelle and Simon, and Maia and some of the friends I met during the play. I'd even come back and see Jace.

Jace Wayland.

My enemy. And then my co-star. And later my friend.

I knew I'd miss him. And maybe later I'd regret not letting things progress between us, but for now, I was glad we became friends. Even though it was me leaving behind another person, one more thing to add to the heartbreak, it was worth it. Because I learned that not everyone was who they portrayed on the outside. Even the best actors show their true selves at some point. And that's what Jace did. No matter how good he was at acting, I still saw the real him. And that's what eases the pain.

That's what makes me lucky.

* * *

_So. I know this took forever to come out, but I didn't want to write when I had no idea what to write about. I know some of you are probably mad at me for:_

_1) taking forever to get this out, or:_

_2) not putting them together_

_3) ending it weirdly_

_But who knows, maybe she comes back and they realize they both are meant for each other. But that's open for your imagination._

_Anyway, I hope you liked it, and please, tell me what you thought. I really enjoy hearing what everyone thinks, even if it's bad. ;)_

_I'm not going to write and epilogue where they end up together, sorry. /:_

_Thank you everyone for reading and to all those who gave me their thoughts on the story. You all are wonderful._


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